CHAPTER 1- We Meet Again

Aomine woke up to the usual shrieks from Momoi.

'Aomine-kun! You can't keep missing practice like this! We're playing Tetsu-kun's school soon and you're lazing around on the roof again!' Momoi absentmindedly twirled her pink hair as she punted him repeatedly with her toes until Aomine finally stood up.

'Satsuki. Why don't you ever just let me be?' Aomine held up a hand to stop her constant high pitched reprimanding. He groggily rubbed his eyes until they finally fluttered open.

'But, Aomine-kun! I told you we're going to meet the new coach, the one who'll be taking Harasawa-sama's place since he's leaving! She'll be helping me out with the match planning!' Momoi complained, him not knowing another piece of evidence he didn't turn up for practice the past three weeks.

His blue eyes widened, and he raised an eyebrow. 'But, Satsuki, you don't need any help with that, you're good enough to do that all by yourself!'

'Aww, Aomine-kun!' Momoi pulled his cheeks, as he sighed. 'As sweet I think it is for you to say that, the one who's coming over to help me get the team better is someone who basically taught me everything I know about information gathering and coaching a team! She was my friend from Teiko and she's the one who even made me want to help you six in the first place!'

Aomine's eyebrows remained perched and gave him an eternally surprised look as Momoi practically pulled him towards the court. He drew up a list of people who it could be, Atsusuki, Mikama, Akahana (though he doubted it, since she was in the States). Who was this friend anyways?

'Sakurai-kun, you're fine at the moment. Just remember, that Seirin has an equally good shooter, Hyuga-kun. Satsu-chan and I will research him, but we need you to keep up your current shooting rate if you want to beat Junpei. Understand? Wakamatsu-kun, you're up next.' The voice rang out around the closed court as Aomine's eyes searched for the one speaking those words.

His attention was immediately drawn to a slender figure sitting on a chair at the far side of the court. She wore a white shirt and a pencil was tucked behind her ear. Her dark hair came up to her chin and her fringe was swept to one side. Her legs were crossed, as her grey eyes followed Wakamatsu around the court as he shot the ball. Her eyes.

The eyes were the first thing that reminded him. Her glasses were gone, her hair was no longer in the same messy bun, but her eyes were the same. The same piercing eyes. Her eyes were the first thing that reminded him. Of those days he'd spent joking around with her, Satsuki and the team. Everybody had wondered where she'd gone until they all got postcards saying she had moved to the States.

He started to notice how she'd changed. She no longer looked so unsure of herself, the look in her eye everything but unsure. Naomi Akahana was no longer just a carefree girl who could fit in with anyone. She was a sophisticated, confident woman, who was ready to whip their team back in place, no matter what it took her to do it.

He was jolted back to reality by her clear voice shouting out again.

'You're all decent players, but do not underestimate Seirin. They've got Tetsu-chan, and while everybody might think that Taiga-kun is the real problem, you all have to keep in mind how dangerous their co-ordination can be.'

She raised her hand and gestured for the team to split into two. 'Practice match! Now wait one second. There should be one more player, correct?' She ran her finger through the list she had. She crossed her slender legs, frowning to herself. When she pouted, Aomine felt his cheeks getting unnaturally hot.

'Daiki…. Aomine?' Her grey eyes widened as Aomine cleared his throat.

'Here, Nao- sorry, Ms Akahana.' Aomine stammered, thinking he couldn't be as casual with her in front of his entire team.

But, from the wild glint in her eyes as she ran towards him, Naomi did not seem to have any restrictions. 'Aominecchi!' she screamed as she crushed him in a bear hug, nearly choking him.

'Naomi! My entire team is here!' The nickname that Kise and Naomi had given him at always annoyed him to no end. When Kise had first started calling him that, Naomi picked it up too, knowing how much it made him want to punch someone because that was just the kind of person she was.

'So what, Aominecchi? Doesn't your team know how you blush when Ryo-chan and I call you that?' Naomi pulled his cheeks, and with the scowl no longer on his face, the Touou team broke into peals of laughter, seeing their ace turn into an equivalent of a teddy bear for their new coach.

Momoi cleared her throat, trying to keep herself from laughing, key word- trying, as she jerked her head towards the court, reminding Akahana about the job at hand.

Naomi's face immediately changed, her easy going expression now turning into something that into one that a look alone would make Sakurai cry and apologize.

'Dai-chan,' she started, and Aomine could tell that she wasn't happy, because she only called him Dai-chan when he was annoying her,' Satsu-chan tells me you don't turn up for practice? Do you think you're really good enough on your own?' She pushed a finger against Aomine's lips, anticipating the oncoming, "The only one who can beat me is me."

'All of the members Teiko team have got their own talents. Tetsu-chan's is the most perplexing.' Naomi face palmed at having mentioned Kuroko in front of Satsuki who now was hyperventilating.

Signaling for Imayoshi to take her out for a bit of fresh air, she continued. 'Satsu-chan and I can never figure out what he does, and considering we can predict your movements, that should tell you how much you need to be wary of him. Kagami-kun and Tetsu-chan already beat Ryo-chan and Shin-chan, those two were good players too. Now, Dai-chan, do you plan on missing even a single practice from now?' Jabbing a finger at him, she glared at him until he finally cracked.

'O-okay, Naomi. I won't miss practice anymore.' As Daiki stuttered, a collective gasp rose from the team members watching. Nobody had seen Aomine ever agree with anyone else. Even Momoi was never able to get Aomine to attend practice!

'Now then, I'll divide the groups. Sakurai, Imayoshi pick your team-mates. Wakamatsu, Aominecchi, you're together, you've got to learn how to work together.' As Kosuke stared at her in disbelief, she sat down next to Momoi and began discussing something in a hushed voice and was furiously writing.

Aomine, as expected, crushed the other team, even with Imayoshi and Sakurai on their side. However during the entire game, he wasn't really doing his best. But it wasn't the fact that he'd crush them and all their hope of ever playing basketball again, it was that he kept getting distracted by her. As he sat down holding the broken hoop in his hand, he found his gaze unconsciously shifting to Naomi, and he began to notice all the little things he had never noticed back in Teiko.

The way her face lit up when she'd smile. The way her laugh would make you laugh too. The way she'd bite her lip while thinking. The way that she'd absentmindedly flick her hair out of her face. The way she'd cross her legs and tap the heel of her leg against the floor when she was bored. The way she'd slowly turn red, from the edges of her cheek to the tip of her delicate nose when she was angry. The way that with every little thing she did, she'd look even more beautiful.

And for some reason, Aomine Daiki, the Touou ace, could not stop looking at Naomi Akahana.