Chapter Two: Take it or Leave it

"You are so lucky!" Atsuko squealed. "You get to spend all your free time around the basketball team!"

"Umm so does Satsuki." Sora responded as the small group of girls sat under a tree during lunch.

"True. So you are both lucky!"

"We really aren't," Satsuki added. "Sora is always practicing and I am running errands and gathering things for the coaches. We really don't get that much free time."

"But still!" Miki, the other girl squealed as well.

Sora sighed as she picked at her lunch, as she continued to listen to her friends' debate whether she and Satsuki were lucky or not. While Sora was thankful that Aomine had introduced her to Satsuki Momoi, his childhood friend and the Teiko basketball manager, the two girls became fast friends. That was only one of the amazing things that had happened over the last few months. She and Shintarou had both been promoted to Teiko first-string regulars. Sure, Shintarou received more playing time, yet that didn't mean that she didn't see a few minutes in every game. As the backup point guard, there was only do much that she could do when Seijuurou Akashi was the starting point guard. She had to admit that he was an amazing player. Then again, there was one thing that she had in her favor.

The other thing that was in her favor was that her long range shooting ability was as deadly accurate as her brother's was. So not only could she play point guard, she could play shooting guard as well. She had noticed that during that National Championship series, that even though Teiko Middle had basically annihilated every team that they had faced, there seemed to be something missing from the team. Some integral piece of the puzzle and she just couldn't place her finger on it.

Instead of dwelling on it, she had decided to let it go for now. Hopefully things would reveal themselves in time. As she ended her musings, Sora sat back and listened to the ramblings of her new group of friends – Atsuko, Miki and Satsuki – ever thankful that she had found a group of girls who didn't care if she lived and breathed basketball.

Yes, so far middle school had definitely been a good change.

Aomine angrily shifted his bag against his shoulder after practice. Everything that could go wrong that day had actually gone wrong.

Not only had he bombed his English test, but also his tests in math and history as well. If he didn't pull up his grades, he knew that his parents would make him quit the team.

Then before practice, he noticed that his favorite pair of basketball shoes were so worn out that a small hole had formed in the sole of one of his shoes. Lastly to top it all off, he ended up having to run for half the practice because of his attitude and missing simple passes.

He couldn't wait to get home and isolate himself in his room. Then he could watch some NBA highlights from America on his computer or sleep. Both of which sounded perfect at the moment.

"Aren't we just a bright ray of sunshine?" a familiar voice asked, moving to walk in step next to him. Glancing to his left he noticed that Sora was walking with his stride as they walked from the main basketball gym towards the front of the school after practice. "You've been in a fantastic mood all day. I thought that surely basketball practice would have made you a bit happier."

For a moment, Aomine didn't say anything. Instead his heart began to pound against his chest. Ever since the first day of school when he had spotted Sora walking across the central courtyard with her brother, he had been intrigued with her dark green, almost black hair and vivid green eyes. Then when she entered his class later that morning, he almost died right then and there. There had never been anyone that he had wanted to get to know more than her. And yet the surprises had kept on coming when it came to Sora Midorima. Not only did her looks intrigue Aomine, but she also loved basketball and was very good at it. That was proven when she, like himself, had been one of a handful of freshman to make the first string of Teiko's basketball team. Thankfully Satsuki had taken notice that something had been bugging him and finally managed to get it out of him, even though he had been hesitant at first. While his childhood friend was annoying for certain things, when it came to understanding the opposite sex, she was a never-ending source of information. She had taken it upon herself to make sure that she could learn whatever she could about Sora to help Aomine in his quest to ask out the timid point guard.

That had been months ago. Since then, Sora and Satsuki had become close friends given that Satsuki was the basketball manager and Sora was the only female on the team. Because of this newfound friendship, Satsuki had been able to learn various tidbits of information about Sora that Aomine found enlightening. To start with, Sora Midorima was studious. When it came to testing, she scored in the top five students of their entire grade level – just short of Shintarou and Akashi. Yet despite her above average grades and love for basketball, she was still a girl and loved to go shopping. No wonder she and Satsuki got along so well.

Then there was one other thing about Sora that Aomine found interesting. Out of all the members of the basketball team, including her brother, the one she most often talked with was him. Maybe it was because they had almost all of the same classes together? Or perhaps it was because he questioned her the morning after they had been placed on the first string? Or maybe, just maybe she was interested in him as well?

Whatever the reason was, Aomine still had not found the courage to ask her out on a date. Instead, his heart began to race whenever she was close to him when they weren't at basketball practice or a game. Satsuki had been pestering him for weeks to make his move when it came to asking Sora out, so what better time then now?

"Practice could have gone better," he mumbled, as he took a deep breath. It was now or never. "Ah Sora…"

He stopped talking when he noticed that Sora was no longer walking next to him. Instead he turned back and saw her walking towards the doors of the third string gym. He quickly followed after her. He silently wondered why she was moving closer to the third sting gym.

Then he heard it. The sound of a basketball being dribbled. Which was odd. The second and third string practices ended earlier then the first string one did. So why was there dribbling coming from the gym.

Following the dribbling sound into the gym, Sora continued into the gym with Aomine silently walking behind her. She stopped at the gym's entrance and watched the court for a moment in silence. At the far end of the court, was a short boy with light blue hair running conditioning drills on his own.

Wait a second. She knew who this was.

His name was Kuroko…Tetsuya Kuroko. He was a library aid! That's where she knew him! She had no idea that he was on the basketball team as well. Then again there were a lot of players on the second and third strings that she didn't know, yet they knew who she was.

"Is there even anyone here?" Aomine whispered as he stepped onto the court. Sora simply smiled and waited to see what would happen when Kuroko took notice of them. Suddenly Aomine felt something behind him and turned around, only to be startled by a shorter boy with light blue hair. "Whoa!" he said stumbling backwards a bit. "Where'd you come from?"

"I've been here the entire time," Kuroko said. "But pardon me, who are you?"

"Wow. Aomine didn't even know Kuroko was here at all. I've never seen anything like this. A player with little to no presence on the court. This is unreal." Sora thought to herself, before stepping out onto the court. "Sorry for interrupting your extra practice. Aomine and I were leaving our practice when we heard someone still practicing in here. We only came to see who was still here."

Looking at both Aomine and Sora, Kuroko knew that neither of them meant any harm. In fact, he remembered Sora Midorima from the few times that she had come into the library at lunch time at the beginning of the school year, as well from being the only girl who dared to try out – let alone make the first string of the basketball team. They had talked a little, but not much. She still came to visit with him from time to time. As for Aomine, he knew that he was one of the stars of the first string.

Sighing, Kuroko told Sora and Aomine the reason that he stayed behind while everyone else had left so long ago. Needless to say, both of the first string players were impressed.

"So you've been staying over everyday to try and get promoted. Wow there aren't many players in the first string who go that far." Aomine said, after listening to what Kuroko said. "Alright! I've decided!"

Sora raised an eyebrow to look at him, as did Kuroko. "…eh? What have you decided?" Kuroko hesitantly asked.

"I'll practice here with you every day from now on! And then one day, let's stand on the same court together!"

"…are you sure it's alright?" Kuroko asked hesitantly, looking over at Sora, who simply shrugged her shoulders.

"Stupid! There's no right or wrong! Didn't I tell you that you can't be a bad guy if you like basketball!" Aomine said holding out his first to Kuroko for a fist bump, which Kuroko hesitantly returned.

Watching in silence, Sora was impressed that Aomine had agreed to help someone other than himself out. Perhaps there was more to the mystery of Daiki Aomine then she had been exposed to so far.

Things were about to get interesting.

Over the course of the next few weeks, Aomine lived up to his promise of practicing basketball with Kuroko one on one to help improve Kuroko's lacking skills. Even Sora would tag along from time to time. She was interested in the lack of presence that Kuroko had on the court. She had mentioned it to her father and he had told her that a player like that was a rarity that should be snatched up without hesitation. Sora knew that Akashi thought that the first string was missing something as well – a player who could change the flow of the game. Or at least that was what Shintarou had told her. Perhaps she should tell Akashi about Kuroko and his lack of presence?

"Come on Tetsu!" Aomine yelled, as Sora watched the two of them practice lay-ups one afternoon. "You got this!"

She watched as Kuroko drove to the basket and missed the easy finger roll to the right side of the basket. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to tell Akashi just yet since Kuroko was lacking one fundamental thing – the ability to score.

Sora sat reading over her history notes prior to classes beginning for the day. Over the top of her notes, she noticed Aomine's looming figure come into view as he sat down in the desk in front of her.

"That's not your seat," she said, without looking up from her notes as she flipped her paper over in her notebook and continued reading about the Wars of Ancient Greece.

"Um," Aomine said stumbling over his words a bit. "I need some help."

That caught her attention. Daiki Aomine asking for help. Setting down her notebook, she looked at him as he nervously ran a hand through his dark blue hair. Something was definitely wrong. Nothing usually made Aomine nervous like this. "What's wrong?"

"I need help with science. I don't understand it. If I don't do well on the next test, my old man is going to make me quit the team."

"Then don't sleep through class."

"I haven't been! But I still don't get it! And I don't want to ask Satsuki for help…and Akashi would make me run more. Then your brother would lecture me about how I should be doing better for myself."

Sora sighed. He was pretty accurate about the depictions of how the others would treat him. "Since you are helping Kuroko after school, you're going to have to study with me during lunch. Starting today."

He nodded in agreement before silently getting up and moving to his own seat.

"You really are an idiot," Sora said as she smacked Aomine upside the head with his notebook. She had flipped through his science notes and seen that he had taken little to no notes at all. Instead he had random doodles here and there, along with drool marks from where he had fallen asleep on his notebook.

Aomine rubbed the side of his head where she had smack him. "Was that necessary?" he asked.

"Yes! How are you going to be able to get into a good high school with grades like yours?"

"With my basketball skills of course!"

She glared at him. "I may live and breath basketball. But even I'm not that dense! You need a back up plan in life."

"Then what is yours?"

"Something in medicine. Anyways," she said, taking her own notebook out of her bag. "Let's start studying. You need to pass this test."

During the next week, each day was the same. Studying during breaks. Studying during lunch. Extra practice with Kuroko after the first string practice ended – even Sora stayed all week and helped. Then Aomine would make sure that she got home, while she would quiz him about science during their train ride and walk.

She even went as far as to ask their sensei to allow her to trade seats with the student next to Aomine in the back of the class so she could make sure that he stayed awake during class. Their sensei did not question her, he simply allowed it since Sora had the highest marks in his class.

Towards the end of the week, Aomine's nerves of being around Sora so much had finally dissipated. He figured it was as good of time as any to finally ask her out on a date. During their lunch study session, she was writing out flash cards for him to study that night for their test the next day when a loose bang fell into her eyes.

Without hesitation, he reached out and brushed it back behind her ear, letting his fingers linger for a moment against the smooth skin of her cheek. Almost immediately, a blush appeared on Sora's cheeks. Before she could move her face away from him, Aomine quickly stumbled out a question. "Go on a date with me."

"Excuse me?" she asked, wide-eyed.

Taking a deep breath, Aomine asked her once again – this time with a hint of blush appearing on his own cheeks. "Go on a date with me?" he asked a bit slower as he slowly pulled his fingers away from her cheek. He looked down at his hands, scared to know what she was going to say.

Shocked, Sora didn't know what to say. Yes, she had a crush on the ace of the Teiko basketball team. Yet she had never admitted it to anyone nor had she ever imagined that he would ask her out on a date. She was excited and nervous all at once, but she didn't want to make it seem that way. So what should she do?

"Ok," she said with a smile. "But on one condition."

Aomine's dark blue eyes met her bright green ones. She could tell that he was hopeful at her response. She continued to smile as she handed him the flash cards that she had finished for him. "Pass your science test."

Aomine's jaw dropped open then quickly closed before he smiled back at her. He took the flash cards from her and put them in a safe spot in his book bag. This was one test he was going to ace.