I'm sorry, really, really sorry for keeping you all waiting this much! I wanted to update earlier but a lot of things happened and I couldn't. I promise next chapter will be up faster so please don't kill me QwQ I hope you all enjoy this new chapter, and leave me more of those beautiful comments that makes me so happy! I'm really happy because there is more people interested in this story that I imagined when I started writing! Thank you all for your support, I'll try to write better everytime!

Chapter Two: The grey shadow

After a long training session in which he hardly got to do anything interesting, only following the lead on a routine of basic exercises that killed most of the other first years and left him completely exhausted, his first day of class finally got to its end… The people on the first and second group had already gone when they were finally released, which was a shame since he was planning to ask Akashi to play another one-on-one with him. He then thought about asking around about the red haired, but all the people on his group were literally dying for overexertion, crawling in four like grudge phantoms toward the locker rooms, so he (slightly scared by the view) decided to leave the things as they were and go back to his place. As he got to the locker room he gave a look around himself, looking the insane amount of weak tired boys heading toward the showers, crowding them. He made a face of disgust… he felt too tired to stand in a line for more than half an hour waiting for his turn on the showers, and since he hadn't sweat as much as the others he thought it should be ok to stay like that until he got to his own place.

After changing his clothes, he took his bag and walked lazily out of the gym and down the path that lead to the entrance door of the school. The distant sunrays that achieved to pass through the layer of gray clouds felt warm, contrasting with the cold wind that had remained from the winter, and that blowing from time to time, took the cherry blossoms from the trees that decorated the surroundings of the school, making them fall in front of the students that walked softly. The gym was a little separated from the central building, so the path he walked by was separated from the principal one and was a lot lonelier, joining the central path only at the end. Probably only the sports club used the one he walked by at the moment, and since he had choose to go before the rest of the first years, he was the only one using it at the moment. Almost.

The sound of a branch creaking alerted him of the presence of another boy walking a couple of meters before him with a book on his hands, concentrated in the reading. Except for his grey hair he didn't seemed to have any distinctive trait, he wasn't too tall nor too small, and thought he didn't gave the smell of an strong opponent he didn't smelled weak either. The bag on his shoulder seemed to be from the basketball club, and since he was walking there at that moment he must have been in the third group with Kagami, but he couldn't seem to find to remember seeing him…

However, it didn't changed the fact that he was someone who could tell him a bit about the so called "Generation of Miracles" and about Akashi, so he started to walk faster toward the white haired. As he was getting closer, the exhaustion of the training added to the difficult classes and the insignificant slept he had the night before, made him yawn a bit, closing his eyes unconsciously for just a moment. Once he had opened them again, the white haired was no longer anywhere to be seen. He had gotten to the juncture of both paths, and a group of students that seemed to be from the discussion club were laughing loudly and walking by…

A bit confused by the sudden vanishing of the other boy, Kagami tried to search his frame around, getting even more confused when he wasn't able to find him… even though he shouldn't have gotten too far… A long and deep sight showed his resignation of searching for him any longer. He could talk to him on practice the next day, so it really didn't mattered that much… And as he stop thinking about that he remembered he had other things to worry about and started to walk again, a lot faster this time.

He had just moved in, and he hadn't got the time to put everything in place in the morning before coming to the school, so he would probably had to fix that as soon as he got there. And not only that, he already had homework to deal with. Just to think about putting order in his place, making homework and even cooking made him sick, so he decided to find some fast food restaurant on his way home. As he walked through the front gate with such a high pace and such a little focus in the world around him, trying to visualize how to organize his time, a black limousine was just about to hit him, making and awful sound that made him jump in distress, retreating to the side-road, giving the black car enough space to continue… A limousine? Really? He had heard that some rich boys were on the school, but a limousine was a bit excessive from his point of view… Not that a black security car would make any difference in that matter.

**The Emperor's watchdog**

- Pathetic…- Kagami felt a cold breeze. To think that those would be the first words he would receive from his classmate Akashi Seijuurou, first thing in the morning, just as he tried to greet him. Cold words coming from such a short boy which a lot colder eyes, that seemed to think he was useless- I have nothing to say to someone that cannot even fix his tie correctly…

"It's my first time using a tie so I can't do nothing about it", "Schools in America doesn't use such a rich boy uniform like this one" and "what does that has to do with anything?" was just some of the answers that floated around his head… But he could not even say one, as the other boy just continued to walk forward, ignoring him completely… That midget

- Hey! I was talking to you!- He ran after Akashi, getting all hot and furious, but at the moment he tried to grab his shoulder to stop him, the other boy looked back at him

- Do not address to me in such a tone- The golden eye that stared at him make him stop all his movements in the act- Your head is too high… Learn your position

And with those words, he fell to the ground without not even understanding why or how could the other boy do such a thing to him even outside the court. With his fire colored eyes trembling in surprise, Kagami looked up at Akashi, trying to understand all the things he did not.

- This is the last time I feel kind enough to forgive your arrogance- He said giving his back to the taller boy and walking once again toward the classroom…

**The Emperor's watchdog**

- This is way too much…- he talked to himself, forehead against the table of the desk and hands to both sides, in a gesture of surrender. The academic level of that school was too much for him, even the way the teachers spoke was sometimes too difficult to follow.

Everything had been so hard that even though he planned to talk to Akashi again, he didn't had not even a second of free time to actually go to his desk and start a conversation… And now that it was lunch hour and he felt hungry, he didn't had the energy for getting up and walking to the cafeteria, much less to try and find the red haired… Why hadn't he make a lunch box in the morning? He regretted as he heard the sound of his own stomach, growling for food, even though he knew the answer too well. Organizing took a lot of time, and when he finally woke up he was already late for school, so with no time to make a full breakfast, not to think in a lunch box, he had ran with the classical piece of bread on his mouth. And now he was too hungry and too tired to even move. But he needed to eat or he wouldn't survive the rest or the classes of the day, not to mention the muscle training he had in the club… and it was only day two. What kind of inferno had he got to by accident?

He was running out of time, so he finally reunited all the energy he had to stand up and walk toward the cafeteria, as fast as he could without burning the little energy he had, following the smell of the food so he wouldn't get lost in that labyrinth-like building… There was really a lot of students, and if not all of them, at list a big percentage gave the impression of being part of the elite… And then he, outstanding for his lack of "class" to the point in which it wouldn't be weird to hear people asking why he was accepted…

Just as he got his hands on his lunch (the cheapest one of the menu since his budget wouldn't give for more and his student card would only pay for that one) he saw the shadow of the boy he had saw the day before, walking out of the cafeteria and without thinking about it twice, he followed him.

The flow of students getting in his way made him almost lose the sight of him more than once, but he managed to recover the trace of his steps, through the halls and stairs, and finally to the rooftop. A wide, clean and even agreeable place, completely desolated, in which the shadow of that lonely white haired, with a small cheap lunch like his own, and a book on his hand, seemed to camouflage perfectly…

- Hi! - He said without much reverence, sitting just by his side. The white haired didn't even bothered in looking back at him, so he called again, this time stronger and closer, startling the other boy a bid- Hi there!

When the grey haired boy lifted his blank eyes from the book and stared back at him, Kagami presented himself

- I'm Kagami, a new member of the basketball club. You are a member too, right?

- How did you knew?- He asked, only his eyes reacting with surprise toward that question

- I saw you yesterday- He smiled, gaining confidence from the affirmation to his question-

- Did you remembered me?- He asked again as if the most strange of all things had just happened to him, making the red haired feel a bit confused.

- Ah, yeah… I wanted to talk to ya before, so… in which class are you?

- Third year, Mayuzumi Chihiro- He presented himself without much enthusiasm, not even hearing the question of the other boy

- Oh, so you are a senpai… So you are in the first group?- He asked, making Chihiro narrow his eyes a bit, before going back to his book

- Third- He replied after a somehow long pause

- Third? Did you just started playing now?- Kagami asked ungallantly and without not even a bit of tact, starting to eat with big appetite his own lunch

- I've been playing since a long time- He replied without giving it much though, continuing to read- I'm just not at the level of the titular team

- So you're weak- Kagami concluded finishing the yakisoba pan he had in his right hand.

- Not as weak as you, though- Chihiro replied without showing in his tone how bothered he felt by the presence of the red haired by his side- With your level, you'll be kicked out of the team in no time

- Ah? - Kagami almost choked at the sound of those, way too harsh words- You haven't been kicked out of the team, why would I be?!

- Because you are a moron- Chihiro answered without changing the expression of his face- If you still think you can be a titular after facing the captain, you must be out of your mind… People like us can't get there.

- And who are you to decide that? - He replied lifting an eyebrow- Isn't that pessimistic attitude what is keeping you behind?

- I'm not a pessimist… I'm a realist- Chihiro answered finishing his own food and closing his book before standing up- You can't defeat the miracles…

- That again? What are those miracles anyway? And where are you going?- Kagami asked standing up too

- You ruined my reading- The emotionless answer made the red haired waver for just a small moment, a moment that was enough for the silver haired boy to disappear from his sight just like the day before…

Full of weirdos… That was Kagami's overall conclusion about the basketball team he has just entered. And just as if the world were against him, the bell rang forcing him to run back to his classroom.

**The Emperor's watchdog**

Classes ended just some minutes early, which, Kagami thought, would give him just enough time to go talk to Akashi before practice. However, reality continued to fail to him and once he was ready to go, the red haired was no longer anywhere to be seen. Sighting to his new defeat, Kagami decided to go to the gym. Maybe there he could talk to one of the other third group boys and ask them about the Generation of Miracles… and if could maybe find Chihiro, he would tell him a thing or two about his attitude.

With that kind of things in his mind, Kagami left the classroom and walked all the way toward the gym, searching now and then for some familiar face, without finding none. Nor the group of senpai that had laughed at him the day before, nor the red-haired Miracle, nor the rude grey haired senpai.

And so, without finding anyone, he got a bit early to the almost empty gym, in which other third group first years talked about some Tv programs and some models. Thinking about joining that chat a little later, Kagami headed toward the locker room and left there his bag, changing his clothes. And there, as he was heading back to the gym, he found, over one of the chairs, a sports magazine with a picture of Akashi…

Slightly surprised by his founding, he hurried toward the chair and took the magazine in his hands, looking through it in search of the article about the Generation of Miracles. It was a full article about the five members of the Generation of Miracles, and though some of the kanjis were hard to read, he could grasp more or less the idea of the whole thing. So Akashi was considered the stronger member of the stronger team of High School Basketball; that explained why everyone saw him with such awe and fear.

- Hey, Kagami-kun…?- Asked one of the boys that were talking outside the locker room just a moment before, standing on the door of the lockers room. He was maybe searching for something?

- Ah, yes…- Kagami answered to the question closing the magazine

- I'm looking for that- The boy said with a slightly frightened smile, pointing the magazine in the red haired hands

- Ah, sorry. Is this yours?- He asked as he handed it to the black haired

- Thanks. I brought it because there were some people that wanted to see the report on the Generation of Miracles- He said before asking in a joking tone- By the way, you could use it too, don't you?

- Eh? - He asked slightly confused. Was it because he was reading it before, or did it had to do with something else?

- You even defied Akashi-kun in the first day. That was hilarious by the way- The boy laughed a bit as he explained himself, embarrassing Kagami- But well, you didn't knew so there's nothing to do 'bout it, right?

- I thought I could so something…- he tried to explain himself

- Haha, sure-

- Hey, you two! Freshmen! Stop talking practice is starting!- Called the voice of one of the third years

- Yes sir! - Both answered leaving the magazine where it was and hurrying back to the rest of the group.

So he really was someone awesome… Akashi. Being the captain of the stronger team must have been such a heavy responsibility, which only showed the level of his own strength. And there he was now, practicing in a different court in the other side of the gym, with an inexplicable aura of invincibility surrounding him as he moved, with the same precision that only professional players could achieve. Kagami's eyes were fired up, with both admiration and desire to challenge him, to the point in which he would even forget about the rudeness of the morning… He was just too powerful and amazing.

And as his eyes were too distracted in the practice of the first group, his body, which ran in circles around the first court with the rest of his group, continued the movement even after the rest had stopped, crashing with a pretty normal, grey haired boy.

- Moron…- The blank eyes of the senpai sparkled with a tiny fire of wrath, as if he were asking to the world, why did he had to deal with such a bothersome person again… and if he could ever get rid of him, or if he would continue to be endlessly bothered by him.

Too bad for him that the last option is the most possible this time.