A/N: Finally I succeeded to write dow a fiction that laid in my head for the past eight months. It's going to be a multi-chapter one, as you may notice later. It will take me some time to update because I need to re-watch the first episodes, trying to be as loyal to the original story as possible. If I fail at this, please inform me. Sometimes I can still miss a hit.

"Are you at the gym already? I'm arriving! Sorry, but the photo session took me longer than expected!"

It's always like this, damn it! Whenever there is an important game, a photo shooting of equal importance comes up! I thought I'd made it in time, without hurry, but my manager insisted that I was present, while she was talking with the owners of the clothes brand I was modeling with. It's normal, usual, I daresay, so I didn't mind. I could have done in five minutes, if she didn't start speaking about her personal business with the woman.

There was a look of understanding among me and her husband. The look on his face suggested, he was late for some other important meeting, maybe economics. In these pairs usually, one is the creative, who does the collection, and the other is the calculator, who has to manage the money that comes from it.

We were both stuck with girls' speeches, about how badly groomed was the model of the competitor band in the last service. I couldn't care less.

When I finally was dismissed, I quickly typed a message to Amoine, since he was the first one on my contacts, and started running towards my school. The huge basketball bag wasn't helping at all.

It is the first game of the last season we would play together, because on the following year, everybody would move to high school.

Hopefully.

No way Akashi is going to forgive me if I am late, he'd make me run around the whole nation with a bag full of stones and coconuts on my back, I'm sure!

Last time I made it to the gym two minutes after the teams were called on the court, I needed to do do extra training sessions in the hours that were supposed to be free for a week!

My phone makes a sound, surely I ran out of credit again, why bother to check and lose more time?

I'm almost at the school, shit, I'm also supposed to play in the first quarter. I fear this could be the last day of my life.

Finally, the building of the school appears, I fasten my peace. I cross the gate, not caring about the guardian shouting at me.

Some girls appear in front of me, I'm not the kind to refuse an autograph or a photo, but not today, I run past them shouting "After the game sweethearts"

The fact they're not in the court yet might mean the game has to start yet. Good for me.

Finally, I spot our changing room's door, forgetting all my manners, I slam it open just to startle everybody. A second later, my face is hit by one of Mai-chan's books, useless to say who is the sender.

But why is all the team still here?

I try to speak "I'm…here…" all the fatigue I held back during the path is coming out now.

I am ready to take everybody's insults. They are coming in 3,2,1… Nothing?

I open my eyes to see everyone staring blankly at me. Akashi stands up, here I'm done. He's holding a bottle of water, he'll hit me to death with that stuff!

I try to cover my head with my arms, ready to block the hit.

"Here, you look pretty dehydrated."

I open my eyes, he's just handing the bottle at me to drink. Despite I think his gesture is pretty strange, my throat urges for water, I open and finish it in one raw.

Akashi turns to Aomine "Didn't you inform him the game was posted to this afternoon?"

What?

Aomine doesn't look away from Mai-chan's book and shrugs "I did, but the idiot probably didn't read it"

The captain lowers his head, helplessly shaking it before turning to me again "Ryouta, change in your uniform, we have some extra time to work on our strategy.

Akashi explains the new strategy, which is not so much different from the one we've been practicing all the week long, just that he decide to send Midorima in later, maybe at the third quarter. This is an index that our opponents aren't too lethal.

Midorima's expressions of disapproval never stop to amuse me. He always has something to say: the first quarter is too early for him, the third is too late. Not to mention that each time he has to protest because one the signs of the other players in the court doesn't match his, and, according to the goddess of my ass, it could be dangerous.

Speaking of stars, today his lucky item is a huge lion plush. I wonder how much money he spends every day for that stuff.

I can't completely blame him tough, since I also have my lucky item. It's a gift given to me by a special person long time ago, it's a steel earring with a fake yellow stone in it. Maybe it's plastic, I don't know, but that is the most precious jewel to me.

I give it a kiss before every exam, every match, and I have to say that it works most of the times. I don't know if it's magic or simple case, but I always do this "ritual", after I make sure no one sees me.

The game went easier than expected, Aomine got bored sooner than usual, we let the opponents score some points just to leave them a little bit happy (Even if Akashi despise this behavior. Sometimes I hardly believe he's human at all).

Heading out of school, Aomine, Kuroko and Momoi join me, as we are usual to head back home together. Aomine complains as always about how lame the game was, just to be scolded by Momoi.

Usually, I get into the flow too, I make some jokes, and often end to be hit by either Kuroko or Aomine. But, not today.

My mind is somewhere else, it always happens to me when this date arrives. The others know this, and they know they don't have to ask. I wouldn't be answering anyway. It's not like I don't trust my friends or something, it's just that this story is too personal for me, also, I think I'll start crying like a baby if I do, so I rather keep it for me.

We walk up until the convenience store, and here, I part ways with them. Usually, I'm one of the last to arrive, but today I need to visit another place before going home.

I greet everybody, forcing some jokes out, just to assure them I am feeling well, and avoid my friends to worry. It's not fair that my personal problems touch them.

I walk past the station, crossing the road at the book store. I cross the park. Today there isn't much people despite the weather, maybe it's because in the middle of the week, no one has time to take their children out.

After five minutes of walking, I'm finally to it. The Kindergarten.

I lean on the grey fence, staring at the sand box in which some toys lay, abandoned by the kids that must be sleeping right now. Eleven years ago, on this same day, my life started to change.

I already feel the tears forming at the corner of my eyes. My chest tightens, as if I see the scene clearly in front of me. Like I am hoping for this to happen again.

As a kid I was pretty fragile, both in the physical and mental sense. My family always taught me that violence is never the way to solve problems: if you hit first, you are on the wrong side, if you hit second, you will get badly injured.

Unluckily, the stronger children didn't share my point of view, they always waited for me to get to the playground to hit me: whatever reason, it was okay for them: one time was for my snacks, another because I did something that annoyed them. All I know is that I always ended crying in a corner alone. The ones who didn't raise their hands, were laughing at me afterwards.

I tried several times to tell it to the teachers, and every single time the answer was the same: "If they hit you, it means you did something wrong to them"

After being given this answer multiple times, I gave up on trying. Of course, how could I hope to obtain justice when the son of the kindergarten's owner was the leader of the group?

I ended up always looking around everywhere, hoping for nobody to notice me, failing most of the times.

When I got home with bruises, my parents would have asked what happened. I always answered that I fell from the slide, or stumbled in a ball. And to avoid them to think about the truth, I arrived to hurt myself on purpose every time I got the opportunity, hoping they would believe I was just extremely clumsy.

One day I was playing in the sand, I was sure those mean bullies were playing football on the other side of the garden, thus I thought I was safe from them. The big cherry tree in front of the sand place covered the view from their spot.

I don't know if they smelled me or something, but after ten minutes of undisturbed playing, the three of them came around me. I felt like a mouse in a cat's den. I wanted to shout, to react, but I found out that I couldn't, I was so scared I couldn't move.

Taishiro, the owner's son, stepped closer to me, an evil grin on his face:

"So, I know today your mom gave you white chocolate snacks. It was very mean of you not to share it with us"

Before I could even open my mouth to answer, he gave me a punch on the face, making me fall into the sand. I couldn't react, as he climbed onto me, pinching my arms with his nails. Tears in my eyes started to flow. This added fuel to their hatred fire, I could hear them laughing at me:

"Ryouta is a girl! As weak as girl!"

I tried but couldn't stop myself from crying. I felt Taishiro tightening his grip around my arm, usually after this came a punch on my shoulder, but that time nothing. Their laughs stopped point blankly, as if someone paused the scene. I heard a fourth voice, one I've never heard before:

"Go away and leave him in peace, or I'll tell everybody you peed in your panties last afternoon!"

I slowly opened my eyes, trying to look at the situation that was going on in front of me, I saw Taishiro taking a step back, muttering something about taking care of this mysterious kid later, and then flee with his friends like they were followed by an hungry bear.

Despite they were gone, I was still petrified, hiding my face from the only kid left.

It was almost scientifically proved that he'd start to laugh at my face. I hoped he would disappear after few seconds, but he didn't. He poked me on the shoulder "You can get up now, they are gone" I slowly raised my head up, and I finally got the chance to properly see him in the face. In that moment, I wondered how could I miss to notice him, I mean with his appearance, he really stood out: dark crimson hair, and he was even a bit taller than the other kids, he wore a plaster on his cheek and was looking down at me with curiosity. He didn't seem to want to harm me further, so, I slowly stood up, wiping the sand off of my face.

"T…thank you" I muttered, always being careful, maybe I would have regretted my words later.

He tilted his head on the side "I am Taiga. What's your name?"

"Ry...Ryouta" I stuttered again. His eyes widened as he observed me "Are you afraid of me?" he asked. And was I supposed to answer ? I wasn't exactly afraid, I was uncertain.

Unluckily, my vocabulary didn't contain that word yet.

I just shook my head, he grinned "Good" and then sat down on the sand box, taking a plastic truck "Want to play with me?" he asked smiling. In that moment, my uncertainty was blown away. Maybe was his smile that convinced me, but no one had ever asked me to be his playmate. I spent hours playing on my own, pretending I had some sort of invisible friend, and, for how odd this can seem, this was the first time that I spoke while playing and there was actually someone listening to me.

We build what were supposed to be sand castles, destroying them pretending we were Godzilla when some of them didn't turn out the way we wanted.

"Why don't you beat them up?" he asked point-blankly. I needed some seconds to reconnect to the bullies "I'm not strong and I'm alone. They will win" that was true, even if I reacted, the counterattack would have been way stronger than what I could afford. I was expecting him to say something like "You're as weak as a girl", while he just shrugged :"Now you are not alone".

If he meant forever or for just one day, I didn't know, but when I went home I was too happy to have found a new friend, I told everything to my family, carefully omitting the bullies part, and they were happy for me. Despite they didn't know about the bullies, they were aware that I had no friends either. Usually, when they asked me how was my day, I just answered I painted something, I build some nice man with the modeling clay or given my crumbs to the birds. All activities of a loner.

The next morning when I woke up, I was eager to get to school, it never happened to me, but I was super excited. From that moment on, every morning was just like this. Over and over again.

Taiga and me were always together, the bullies seemed to be scared as we passed by. Sometimes, I still flinched when I saw that gang walking by, but he would hold my hand and look straight at me, saying that I could be stronger than they were, that I should have taken courage and face them whenever they tried to scare me. Then he would reassure me, saying that until we were together, they counted less than zero.

I was happy, but I couldn't help but feeling some negative aura standing behind us, I'm not talking about Taiga, but the teachers gave us odd looks whenever they saw us holding hands or the times we hugged.

Besides, Taiga always had plasters or bruises somewhere on his body. Surely he was more careless than I was, but yet, those scratches and wounds reminded me of mine when Taishiro and his friends used to beat me up. I tried to ask some times, he would just answer he accidentally fell or something of the like. I don't know if I believed him or not, but I always ended accepting his version.

It was Valentine's day morning. I always loved that day because my sisters would have baked cookies to bring to school, and they would have made some for me as well.

I was always curious what was this gesture for. That year, while my older sister was baking, the question left unspoken for so many years, finally left my mouth "Nee-chan, why are you bringing cookies at school?" my sister smiled, giving a white chocolate covered cookie to me "See, Valentine is the day in which you have the occasion to show your admiration towards somebody you like. You bring them cookies or sweets to show your affection"

My eyes brightened at this, I clung to her skirt in excitement "Can you make some for me? I want to give them to Taiga-kun!"

She smiled nodding "Of course, I can" she then knelt down kissing my forehead. I'll leave them on the table"

Before leaving, I found a transparent plastic bag full of cookies, wrapped with a red ribbon. My mother carefully put them into my backpack and then followed me to school. I was way too excited to give my cookies to Taiga.

When I arrived at the kindergarten, Taiga was playing with superheroes action figures in the toys hall. I walked up to him, beaming happiness from all my pores. He looked at me questioningly, tilting his head to the side as he used to when he was confused.

I kept the packet hidden behind my back "You know what date is today?" I said, never letting the grin off of my face. He shook his head.

"It's the day you can give the person you like sweets…" at that point, I showed him the cookies I was been hiding "…this is for you!"

His eyes glimmered with excitement, he was left wordless. Inside I was jumping for joy.

His face went a little sad "I have nothing for you…" then, he looked at me, like considering on doing something, hugged me and gave me a kiss on cheek. In that moment, I thought I would have never been glad like that anymore.

It is painful to know I was right.

Something like a week later, I met Taiga at the entrance, he looked down and disturbed by something, he wouldn't speak a word all the day. We played as usual, but it was like he was making it against his will. I was feeling guilty, I thought I did something wrong to him, but thinking back over my actions, I couldn't understand what.

Finally, before the school ended, he grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the backyard. He had tears in his eyes. Taiga crying. It was as unlikely as seeing my father wearing a skirt.

He took breath several times before speaking.

"Ryouta, we can't be friends anymore"

That words broke my heart, literally. I felt my chest tightening and breath lacking to my lungs. "Wh..why?" I choked out. He shook his head.

"My dad told me I am not supposed to hug and kiss another boy…" I saw that he didn't agree with his father, and in that moment, I understood that those scratches, didn't come from accidental falls.

"Tai…Taiga-kun, please…" he shut me up, pressing a finger towards his lips "I want to be your friend, but I'm moving to another school" there, I couldn't restrain my tears anymore, my best friend was going to leave me, and I could do nothing to avoid this from happening.

He patted my head and hugged me, I hugged him back tightly, like I hoped to avoid him from going by doing this. He rubbed my back "Don't cry, don't cry." He said, even though he was crying as well.

When we parted, he rummaged in his pockets, taking out a small steel earring (That looked like silver for me at the time) with a fake yellow diamond in it. He pressed it inside my hands "Keep it. It is the most precious thing I found" I nodded, unable to speak further words.

He wiped off his tears, and took hold of my hands, forcing me to look at him in the eye "Promise me…" he took breath "…promise me you won't let kids hitting you anymore. You are strong!" and he hugged me again. No further words were spoken that day. I sat back, watching him slipping away from my life.

I knew I had nothing to do with it, but I felt powerless: he came to rescue me from those mean bullies, stayed by my side to avoid them from hitting me again, and all I did when he was the one being in troubles was watching. I can't help but feeling guilty for my behavior.

I spend the following weeks buried in my room, refusing to eat, crying. My parents were worried, it didn't take them long to know the story and discover my problems with bullies at school.

My father moved me to another kindergarten, he said that it was silly to leave me in a place where hugs are forbidden and kicks prized.

I still agree with him.

My following years went a little better, I picked up Taiga's advice and started to show the others my strength, nobody tried to pick a fight with me after the first attempt. I had kids encircling me, I succeeded to make some kind of friends, but deep in my mind and heart, there was Taiga holding my hand, sulking when I succeeded to perfectly copy his modeling clay sculptures.

I moved on with my life, but his memory was always alive in me, and every time I needed someone to help me, his voice raised clearly in my head

"You're stronger than them".

At the age of fourteen, I obtained the permission from my family to get an ear piercing, despite what most people think about, I don't really like piercing my body with strange metal pieces, but I wanted to wear that earring at least once.

I wear it just at extremely important times (Not in the games, of course, I'd lose it).

Now I'm happy I found some good friends to share my time with, but deep inside, I always think about him

Where's he now? Did he find a girlfriend? Did he forget about me? Will I see him again?

I leave the kindergarten, I fear some of that evil teachers, which are still there, maybe with some teeth lacking, or more age signs on their face, but still their old creepy selves. If they see me here, they might think I have weird ideas with the kids. And I know how prejudice can be stronger than actual evidences.

I leave, taking one last glance at the sand box. The same that years ago made me meet the most important person in my life.

I hope someday, that person will appear to me again. I'm counting the days.