Author's Note: Originally, this story was posted on a moderated archive site Lunaescence, under the same pen-name. However, I decided to import the idea here. Comments and critiques are much appreciated. By the way, I was formerly known as Namikaze Hatake.
Please enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Kurobas!
The distant tell-tale chorus of rubber against asphalt, excited shouting and the rhythmic beats of a bouncing ball reached his ears, a sign that he had arrived at his intended destination in good time.
Walking in unhurried strides, the tall male calmly made his way through the open space of the park, yawning widely in the process.
It wasn't the first time that Aomine had decided to scope out the local street-basketball scene, more out of pure boredom than anything. His little trip through the area this afternoon was a last resort really. With the last few days of spring bringing forth a never-ending wave of warm weather, it was way too hot for him to take a nap anywhere.
Besides, pretty much anything beat being trapped in that old stuffy classroom anyway.
If there was one thing about Japanese History Aomine knew, it was that that damn History teacher never shut up. (Never mind that it was his best subject...)
'Poor bastards.' The male released a deep chuckle, easily conjuring the picture of Sakurai apologising profusely for his absence while the rest of his classmates cowered in fear. He had been the only one quick and agile enough to escape the old geezer's wrath, abandoning the rest in the dust to face the proverbial storm.
Of course, he hadn't done it quietly either, leaving chaos in his wake the moment he decided that it'd be cool to leap out of the first floor classroom window.
Stuffing his hands into the pockets of his slacks, his ears perked involuntarily as the noise of a fast-paced basketball game became more and more distinct.
Immediately, he furrowed his brows in mild confusion. From what he could tell, the people playing were unusually harried for some reason, frantically shouting at one another and scrambling to gain possession of the ball.
"Crap! How fast is this guy?!"
"Shit! Don't let him score again!"
"Just what the hell are you guys doing?! Hurry up and defend properly!"
"Don't let him get past you!"
Curiosity peaked, the tanned skinned male made his way over to the court despite himself. He had never been one to pass up the opportunity to scope out potential opponents, despite all his failures in procuring a rival in the past.
Underneath it all, his love for basketball drove him on.
...Well, sort of. Aomine couldn't deny the occasional amusement he felt at the sight of bumbling fools struggling to get stronger. Especially after he completely crushed them.
Squashing the slight swell of hope that he would never openly admit to, the tan-skinned teen came to a stop by a court bench, easily joining the small audience that had gathered to watch the ongoing game.
Raising a brow, the cobalt eyed male stared at the scene in interest. The current game was five players against one, a set up that challenged even Aomine himself, if only slightly; It was something he liked to indulge in to stave off the constant dull feeling he had inside whenever he was out skipping club.
'...Who is that guy?'
Eying him curiously, Aomine frowned, unable to properly identify the newcomer due to his excessively baggy clothing. The outfit consisted of a dark pair of long track pants and a thick hooded jumper with the hood worn up. He squirmed slightly in discomfort when he spotted this, cringing- Was this guy an idiot? Who the hell would wear such clothes in the first place? It was way too hot!
It was a few seconds later when Aomine found himself narrowing his eyes in contemplation, his gaze never once straying from the mysterious fellow's agile form.
Every movement, every muscle and the way the other carried himself... It was all strangely familiar and may he add, unusually skilled compared to the chumps that usually hung out here...
'This guy ain't half bad...' Aomine thought, feeling slightly impressed. He had a distinct feel emanating from him too, which roused his interest somewhat.
Swiftly, the unknown newcomer proceeded to perform a skilful crossover, easily evading one of his fumbling opponents and driving past another through the guy's left. His remaining opponents were quick to respond when they saw this though, causing the lone player to coil his muscles in preparation, immediately shifting into a posture that signaled his intentions for a three-point shot.
"Tch. That's not going to go in, dumb ass." The tan skinned male muttered, suddenly feeling quite disappointed- Perhaps he had judged too quickly...
Crossing his arms over his chest, his cobalt eyes easily followed the players. True to his prediction, he watched as a third member of the opposing team rushed to block the shot and a fourth guy position himself not far behind him, clearly in preparation for a steal; They were taking into account the possibility that the newcomer was executing a fake. With such an alert defence, it was darn near impossible for the player to score.
'Unless you're me of course.' He couldn't help but add.
As if to spite Aomine and his thoughts however, the oddly dressed individual suddenly shifted his posture, swiftly ducking under the second fellow's arm before aimlessly shooting the ball at the board, earning reactions of surprise from his opponents as the projectile roughly ricocheted off the backboard.
In a display of near inhuman agility, the hooded male pivoted around the two players, who had been distracted by the seemingly haphazard shot, and launched himself into the air. There were varying exclamations of shock from the audience when he performed a powerful dunk, emulating a perfect Self Alley Oop that made even Aomine widen his eyes in surprise.
The crowd watched in poorly concealed captivation as the hoop continued to quiver violently from the impact, unsure of what to make of the display.
Landing easily on his feet, the unnamed player turned to face his fallen opponents, his posture remaining completely relaxed despite the amount of raw power he had just exhibited.
A tense silence ensued, with copious amounts of staring and gasps.
"…Maa, maa, I must say I'm rather disappointed."
Aomine blinked in surprise, his jaw loosening slightly when he identified an oddly feminine pitch in the newcomer's voice- There was no way in hell a guy could sound like that, that was for certain.
'...Oi, don't tell me...'
"You guys aren't very entertaining." The stranger continued, almost forlornly, shifting his weight onto his left hip in a manner that strongly reminded Aomine of the fairer sex.
The navy blue haired male watched with full attention, as a slender and notably smooth hand moved up to pull down the concealing hood, fully unveiling an unexpectedly pretty face.
There was a moment of utter bafflement as the now identified female smiled coldly, her eyes remaining shut- An expression that greatly resembled a mischievous fox.
"I feel slighted. You weren't what you claimed to be after all." The tall woman said serenely, remaining oblivious to the gobsmacked expressions of everyone around her.
"...E-EEEEEEH?!"
"...O-Oi! Y-You! Y-You were a girl?!" Someone from the bunch of losers yelled, thoroughly shocked.
The newly revealed female turned towards him, somehow managing to stare him down condescendingly despite never once opening her eyes. Needless to say, her domineering height didn't do much to ease the sudden pressure that she was inflicting on the poor sap either.
'Oi, oi. Are you guys idiots...? How does that even sound like a guy?' Aomine found himself deadpanning at the scene, casting an unimpressed look at the pathetic lumps currently collapsed at the unnamed woman's feet. Were these guys stupid or what? Surely they should have noticed something was off about her voice when she had asked for a game?
'...Unless, she introduced herself as a guy or something... Not sure why'd she do that but man, look at her,' He stopped to allow his eyes to roam, '-this chick is tall...'
Seriously, she was what, only 3 centimetres shorter than him?
"I most certainly am." She answered her fallen opponent, voice remaining polite as her cold smile morphed into a cocky smirk.
"I'll inform you now though, as clearly just demonstrated, it really doesn't matter whether I'm male or not." She added in faux kindness, her sugary words doing nothing to disguise the cutting supercilious tone that lay underneath.
In response, her defeated opponents flinched, some clenching their fists in anger while others looked down in utter despair. They couldn't form retorts at all, not after she had completely and utterly crushed them like that.
"What's with that girl?! She's seriously tall! I thought she was a guy!"
"I-I can't believe it! I-I mean, they didn't even score a single point!"
"What the hell?! She's just like that other guy who comes here!"
The murmurings of the small audience grew louder as the newly-discovered female nonchalantly moved to pick up the fallen basketball that remained stationary a few feet away.
Spinning the orange globe absentmindedly on her forefinger, she languidly made her way towards where she had last seen her belongings, completely ignoring the attention currently on her.
Abruptly, she was blocked off by a tall male who stood brazenly in her path. She took the time to examine his appearance, noting that he was donning a school uniform, which consisted of dark blue slacks, a light almost white, blue-grey shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows and a loosened red silk tie. He also had short spiky navy hair that parted to the left and dark tanned skin that contrasted nicely with the colour of his light uniform shirt.
"Heh. You aren't bad. " Aomine said shortly, his sharp eyes narrowing challengingly as they slowly raked over the woman's form. 'Shit, don't think I've ever met a girl this tall.' He mused to himself once more, disbelieving of her height. Her basketball skills weren't that bad either, from what he had gathered.
"May I help you?" She asked evenly, not one to be intimidated, despite his deep cerulean eyes boring heavily into her.
Aomine smirked in response, carelessly tossing his school bag to the ground as his orbs slid from her face towards the ball in her hand pointedly, "Play a game with me."
There was a pause, her pleasant expression remaining unchanged.
For once, the resident basketball prodigy exercised patience, appearing largely unaffected by her scrutiny as he awaited her reply. He knew for a fact that she was taking her time to examine him, despite the fact that her eyes were perpetually closed.
'Huh, wonder how she sees...? She actually kinda reminds me of that bastard Imayoshi,' Aomine thought, easily picturing his new basketball captain's ever-smiling face, before stopping short. 'Definitely much prettier though.' He amended, taking in the woman fairly alluring features and champagne blond coloured hair.
"…Unfortunately, I'll have to politely decline your request."
The taller player blinked in surprise, "…Hah?"
Her smile morphed into a placating one, walking around him as she resumed her previous activity of spinning the ball on her slender finger.
Aomine stared after the mysterious woman, slightly shocked that she had brushed him off so easily, his eyes tracking her every movement.
The tall girl easily ignored his penetrating gaze, not once pausing in her movements to retrieve her schoolbag from its place on a nearby bench.
"As you can see, I've wasted enough of my time for today." She intoned almost carelessly, hoisting the item neatly onto her shoulder without looking back at him once.
"...Besides, it seems that as usual,"
The mysterious woman stopped at the entrance to the basketball court, turning briefly to address the bold challenger, her voice evenly laced with velvet and silk.
Aomine felt his breath hitch when he suddenly locked eyes with her: a deep, intimate wine red meeting a pair of surprised dark azure. His feet remained rooted to the spot, an odd tingle running down his spine just as she delivered a familiar set of parting words,
"…The only person who can beat me, is me."
