Chapter 2


Thanks so much, allenfan, Pea Brain Writer, Allenchan, ass-sassin, Guest, and all those beautiful readers who dared to favorite and follow this story! You guys are the best! I hope that you all find a yummy cookie.

Oh, and to answer some of your questions, the pairing for this story might be general. I'm still thinking about how to properly develop the characters (with no luck so far). So...for now, just let your imaginations run wild!


"It's nice to meet you! My name is Satsuki Momoi. Please take care of me!"

The introduction was just right – Momoi knew. She had injected the right amount of affability in her tone, and in a regular high school, she would've given people a very good impression.

However, let us backtrack for a while, stop, and take note of the facts: Momoi is in Teiko, and Teiko is a lot of things – a mess being one of them. In fact, halfway through lunch period and already, the clinic was half-full of bleating students. The thing that terrified her was the reaction of the nurses; they were not the slightest bit fazed as students came in stretchers, whining about internal bleeding, fractures and concussion.

Momoi's first lunch period in Teiko was a downright disaster. She had to find shelter in the gap between a vending machine and the wall because Nijimura went missing amidst the strong current of students. She never even got to eat, for goodness sake! Students were far too violent in the cafeteria – she didn't want to end up dying in there. All she got from the vending machine was an energy drink because that was all it had. Clearly, whoever made the accursed machine never considered the needs of frail, peaceful girls such as Momoi.

The end of lunch period wasn't any better. Although students have dispersed from the halls, she knew that she'd be seeing more of them – namely, in the classroom.

After the teacher called her over, her entrance wasn't awkward, nor was it pleasing. Students just didn't seem to care about their new classmate. That is, until the teacher clapped his hand, grabbing their attention.

"Okay, everyone! This is our new student!" he turned to Momoi, forcing a pained smile. "Please introduce yourself." And try not to enrage your new classmates. I have a family, I can't afford to lose my job. If you die, I'm guaranteed to lose it!

Thus, the introduction.

There were a few moments of silence as students scrutinized her, deciding which category she belonged in. Then... "Her chest looks so fake."

"So does her butt."

"I heard that she comes from a no-name high school."

"Seriously? Do you think that she could keep up with our education system?"

The criticism droned on, and Momoi's eyes bore into the marble floor – hoping that if she stared hard enough, a giant hole would eat her up and transport her into the underworld, where she would have to spend the rest of her miserable life serving Hitler. But unfortunately, that never happened. The teacher cleared his throat, stopping the students' mutterings, before turning to the girl. "Your chair is the one at the back." He pointed at a lonely-looking desk at the classroom's corner, just beside the bookshelf. As she made her way to her place, she was slightly taken-aback. Apparently, she wasn't alone. There, sitting beside her was a boy.

Momoi couldn't make out his face because it was buried beneath his burly arms as he slept, but she could see that he was strongly built. She distinctly wondered if the class hated him too.

Seeing it as an opportunity to make one friend, she scooted towards him. "Hey. So is this class mean to you too?"

She waited for ten agonizing seconds before he finally drawled his head back from his arms to glare at her. His glare, however, immediately vanished when his eyes glazed over to her breasts then back to her face. This made Momoi flinch. "Nah, not really." Then, just like that, he allowed his head to collapse into his arms and continue his slumber.

Scooting away from him, with her chest facing the other side, Momoi decided that she didn't like this guy.

She decided not to get too involved with him. If she did, she might end up tangling herself into an even bigger mess. Dealing with Teiko High's ungrateful little brats was enough.

…X…

Murasakibara was having a good day.

His favorite chips were on sale that morning so now he had about an entire week's supply. Besides this, they didn't have basketball training that afternoon after pummeling their previous opponents with a hundred-point difference. He was free to devour all his snacks with no responsibilities to worry about.

So clearly, he was happy. That is, until he saw a flash of red.

"Atsushi, you are coming with me."

…X…

For the first time in her life, Momoi was alone. This reality only came crashing down on her when she stepped into the hallway after class. Everyone had their own cliques. They walked around in bundles, chatting about some teacher's mole, or some no-name schoolgirl. For the first time in her life, she had no friends! She was no longer popular enough to become a muse, or class representative, or on the board for every important school club. In Teiko, she was no one. She wasn't important. She could barely even snag a friend – no, not even that perverted loser sitting beside her.

This knowledge made her feel lost. What was she supposed to do now? Not attend any club? Not run for a position in the student council? She isn't used to being one of the crowd.

Satsuki Momoi is used to standing out!

Her father had texted her that day, telling her to stay in school for a few hours after school because they were cleaning up the new house, and she found herself making her way to the school's rooftop. It was probably the first time she'll be doing it. She was always going to places with her friends and socializing.

When she got up there, she was initially intimidating. It was so high up! However, it was still refreshing to be away from the rest of the student body.

Here, she could breath.

She was alone. She could be herself.

"What are you doing here?"

"WHAAAA!" Momoi nearly fell off the rooftop due to the shock of a foreign voice. Then, after regaining her balance, she looked back at its source. It was the boy from her class, looking at her with an alarmed face; he clearly thought that she was going to fall off, and for a moment, Momoi wished that she did.

"Woman, what is wrong with you?"

"Hey, I'm not the one who shocks people into nearly falling off railings!" The boy rolled his eyes, obviously not enjoying this. Then he looked at her, his eyes suddenly serious. "Are you stalking me?"

If Momoi was drinking something, she would've choked on it. She gave the boy a skeptical look before hissing, "Why would I stalk a perverted ganguro like you?"

"Well this perverted ganguro happens to be very handsome," the boy replied, smirking, as he averted his attention to the magazine he's been flipping through. Then, he said, "Also, my name is Daiki Aomine. Does the name ring a bell to you?"

Strangely, it did. Momoi just couldn't remember where she had heard it.

"Hey, you never answered my question before. What are you doing here?"

"To breathe," she replied curtly. Aomine was still looking through his magazine when he asked, "Trying to get away from the rest of the student body?"

Momoi merely nodded. She expected Aomine to say more, but when she looked at him, he's been completely absorbed by his magazine. To be perfectly honest, Momoi did enjoy his presence. He was unlike any of the friends she's had before, but he was the first to speak to her in this new school. If she didn't want to stay lonely for the rest of her school life, she knew that she needed to step up. So, step up she did.

"Aomine-kun, are you happy with the class?"

"Huh? Oh." Aomine was busy reading the features section of the magazine when Momoi spoke to him. Fortunately, his head was hurting from looking at texts and images all day. For once, he was willing to give someone a time of his day. He sluggishly placed the magazine beside him then looked at Momoi, a bored expression on his face. "I'm not really happy nor am I thrilled. You could say that I don't care about my class. My life in school revolves around something else."

"Something else?"

"Basketball," he said quickly, and Momoi's heart sped up.

"B-basketball? You're…a member of Teiko's basketball club?"

"Yep."

"Omigosh! That is so cool!" The thrill she felt when Nijimura said that he was in the basketball club surged. She stared at Aomine with the same look of admiration she gave her tour guide.

I've been talking with a star this whole time! Oh my gosh, I need to tell Ayane and Hana-chan! I should take a picture with him! Could he maybe be one of the 'Generation of Astonishments' one of my basketball-fanatic classmates keep talking about?

"Are you in the first string, Aomine-kun?"

"I am."

"That must be wonderful! You must be really good. People must adore you."

"They do." He ran a hand through his navy blue hair. "You see, I was born a legend. No one can defeat me."

Momoi's smile wavered, her admiration sinking a little.

"You must be among the school's pride and joy."

"I am. In fact, I am more precious than our teachers and principal combined."

And just like that, her admiration completely vanished.

"You know, you really are too egoistical for your own good."

Aomine gave her a skeptical look before saying "You can't call me egoistical if I really am as good – or even better – as they say."

Way too egoistical, she thought.

"By the way woman, don't think that you can just waltz into my rooftop like you did today. I like this spot a lot. It's my space."

"First of all," Momoi fumed, "I have a name, and it's Satsuki Momoi. Not woman. It's Satsuki Momoi. Get it into that thick head of yours. And I'm free to walk into this place any time I want to. The rooftop isn't your property. It's the school's property. You're lucky, though. I don't plan to come here again. I don't normally go to rooftops."

Aomine raised his brows at Momoi then asked, "Why not?"

She decided to sit beside him. "I was always too busy back then to find time to explore the school. I was always going out with friends and attending co-curricular activities."

"Teiko must've been a shock for you then. No one here seems to be that interested in a big-busted woman like you."

On a good day, Momoi might've given Daiki Aomine a good kick on the shin. However, because it was a terrible day, she found herself dwelling on the things he said before calling her a 'big-busted woman,' and before she knew it, she was curling in on herself.

"It's so strange. The feeling of being unseen, that is. No one seems to notice my presence. It's like…I'm not even there. People just keep looking past me, and no one acknowledges my presence – it's as if I'm invisible. How can I make friends when I'm invisible?"

The things she said seemed to strike Aomine, much to her surprise. His eyes widened, and for a moment, he was opening his mouth, trying to come up with the right words. Then, he turned away from her, seemingly stuck in his own trail of thoughts.

"Aomine-kun?"

"Lacking presence is…not a bad thing at all," he suddenly said. Momoi was surprised by his words. It was so different from the cold, bored tone he's been using since they've met. This was…warm – maybe even sad.

Before she could reply, however, there was a sudden surge of murmurs and screams coming from the school grounds. It was different from when the students were filing into the cafeteria. That one was violent and careless. This one was worried.

Curious, Momoi and Aomine walked to the railings to see what was happening below them, and they were shocked to see a boy standing on the windowsill on the art building's fifth floor. From where they stood, Momoi and Aomine had a pretty good view of the fifth, fourth and third floor. The rest below were barely visible. The students who have accumulated at the bottom looked like dots.

"That idiot," Aomine muttered, staring at the boy who was about to jump. "Is he trying to kill himself?"

"He obviously is," was what Momoi wanted to say, but she was far too shocked to speak. Her first day in a new school and already, she was witnessing someone trying to commit suicide.

The boy took small steps towards the windowsill's edge, and a chorus of screams echoed from the crowd of students below. At that moment, Momoi's resentment towards Teiko students lessened. They may be absolute brats, but they really are just high school children. No matter how violent they may be, they're not heartless enough to enjoy the sight of someone trying to commit suicide.

"A-Aomine-kun! We need to do something!"

"If we could do something, Satsuki, don't you think we could've done it ages ago?!"

Momoi glanced back at the arts building. Then, on the fourth floor, she caught sight of something red making its way past the crowd and into the window.

Her eyes immediately left that flash of red, however, because at that moment, the spine-tingling screams of students all combined hung in the air as the boy jumped off.

Momoi realized that she was one of those who screamed. But her scream was cut short when the flash of red she saw on the fourth floor grabbed the boy's torso at just the right time and attempted to pull him in. The momentum, however, caused them both to tip over. Momoi was about to scream again, thinking that this time, two people were going to fall, when a huge hand grabbed the red-head's collar and dragged him, along with the boy, into the hallway.

There was a moment of silence that was followed by hectic sounds of students wailing or cheering or sobbing or all of them combined.

"Akashi."

"What?" Momoi turned to Aomine, not sure about what he said. Then, just like that, he dashed off. "W-wait! Aomine-kun!"

She quickly followed Aomine down the steps of the building. She followed him as he easily made his way past the crowd of students – who were practically making way for him, treating him like she was some kind of high school royalty. She followed him up the stairs of the arts building, and she stopped dead in her tracks when they finally reached their destination.

SLAP

"Akashicchi, there was no need to slap him that hard."

"Ryota, be silent." The red-head glared at the boy who was pitifully standing by the wall, looking like a deer-caught-in-headlights as four well-built boys hovered over him. "He needs to know the consequences of his shameless deed."

Momoi was close to scolding Aomine when he walked to join the four, until she realized that he was one of them. The guy who was holding a bonsai was the only one who glanced at Aomine, acknowledging his presence, because the rest were too busy giving the boy who had jumped off the building moments ago pitiful stares.

"I-it's not my fault!" the boy squeaked, seeming to be one with the wall behind him. The red-head's glare intensified – so did the pitiful stares. "Miracles like you would never understand what it's like to be useless!"

"But we still have our own share of problems. And we're not brainless enough to go jumping off buildings when things don't go our way." The red-head inched closer, causing the boy to become as pale as the wall. "Endo, you will not give up when faced with every little obstacle that comes your way. You will be strong enough to face it. And you will not defy this order."

The boy looked dead beneath the red-head's glare. It didn't seem like he was going to jump off buildings anytime, though, and for that, Momoi was glad. The handsome boy who stood behind the red-head, however, looked like he was more concerned about Endo.

"A-Akashicchi…"

Gold and red eyes met with yellow ones – the former two seeming fiercer than the latter. "What is it?"

"Akashicchi, I think he fainted."

"At least he's still alive," Aomine piped in. The one who acknowledged Aomine's presence shook his head, looking like he thought that everyone else in the group was stupid and strange.

"Atsushi, go and take him to the infirmary. The nurses will know what to do since students here faint every day. And Ryota– "he turned the chap with flaxen locks.

"Yes, Akashicchi?"

"Endo is in your class, am I right? If you're that concerned about him, you may speak with him when he wakes up."

"Yes."

Momoi was wise enough to pinpoint who was in charge, but she found it quite amusing to see that it was the smallest one of the group. He was able to control four larger boys – one of them probably measuring over six feet – with one look. He had the aura of utmost authority, and even Momoi, who barely knew him, wouldn't have the guts to question him.

"I hear that they used to do this outside of school all the time, but it's still a thrill to see it happening for real," one of the girls behind Momoi told her friends. She glanced back, and for a moment, debated with herself whether or not she should be talking with a Teiko student. In the end, she decided to risk it.

"Excuse me, but what do they do?"

Hunt down suicidal kids and pull them into building hallways before they collide with the ground?

"Stop crimes!" The girl gleamed, looking at the five boys in absolute adoration. "They stop crimes and help people!"

What are they? The police? Things like that only happen in movies!

"Satsuki," Aomine said, walking over to her. She flinched for a moment, realizing for the first time how much of a hotshot he really was. But when she looked at him, all traces of idolization diminished because he wore the smug, egoistical expression that she now realized irked her a lot. But in his dark eyes, she saw something else – wistfulness, perhaps?

"Since you're a friendless person–" "EXCUSE ME?" "– you can come over to the gym at lunch time tomorrow if you want."

"Aomine-kun, I don't play basketball."

"That's fine." Aomine glanced at the blonde who was scuttling after the violet-haired giant, who had had the suicidal boy thrown across his shoulders. "Akashi specifically asked you to come, saying that it would do good to have a female in the gym daily to motivate Kise to do well during training."

"But–"

"Akashi is the one with mismatched eyes."

"Okay," Momoi chirped, realizing – quite grudgingly too – that even she was afraid of someone she barely knew just by seeing everyone else practically bow down to him.

Then, at that moment, an outrageous thought occurred to her. Gym?

"H-hey," she whispered, suddenly finding her feet very interesting. "You guys don't happen to be the…'Generation of Admiration', right?"

Aomine flinched, blinked, and before she knew it, laughing hysterically. For a while, Momoi was afraid that she'd said something stupid. Then, a few seconds later, she began to worry about Aomine's sanity.

"Aomine, what's going on?" the jade-haired boy asked, carrying the pot of bonsai in his left hand. With all the confusion gone, Momoi found herself wondering, 'Why was he carrying a bonsai around?'

"M-Midorima…" Aomine managed to say in between stifles of laughter. Momoi glared, now knowing fully well that she was the subject of his mirth. "S-Satsuki was wondering if we were the 'Generation of Admiration'. Pfft. HAHAHAHAHA!"

"Well I'm sorry I assumed that you were that good! No need to laugh about the impossibility of that thought, you stupid ganguro!"

The slightest hint of a smile ghosted over Midorima's features before he pushed his spectacles up using bandaged fingers. "If you mean to say 'the Generation of Miracles,' then yes. That would be us."

"What?" she gasped, her voice cracking. Behind her, Aomine continued to cackle, and a few feet away, heterochromatic eyes were boring into them. "Y-you are?"