Warning: Crappy and a bit raw. This is my first fic okay. lay it off a bit.

Thanks, Nana, Savage Kill, charizzard, and Ninja99 (FOR STICKING TO ME AND MY STORIES, NINJA99) for reviewing. Means a lot to me :)

Chapter Two

'There.' Shojikina Megumi smiled at her masterpiece as she tied a blue ribbon around the black rubber band that held Utsubara's French braid in place. 'All done.'

Sora Utsubara puffed her cheeks. She mumbled in disgust, 'I look ugly.'

Megumi was, to say the least, dumbfounded at what Utsubara had just uttered to nobody in particular. It was in all actuality the first time she had heard the young seven-year-old belittling herself. Usually she was a self-proclaimed 'cute basketball player who was pretty as a model.' she was just like any other Sora—self-confident and exuberant. So why was she acting like she had an inferiority complex right now?

'Hey, look at me,' Megumi patiently ordered the little girl. The young Sora begrudgingly obeyed. Megumi cupped both of her cheeks. 'Utsubara Sora, do not depreciate yourself. you are beautiful, okay? You are one of a kind. You are not ugly. Nobody is ugly, okay?'

Utsu simply nodded, but still uneasy. Megumi had a lot of plans to cheer the girl up but she felt she should let the child figure out on her own. She picked up Utsu and set her down beside her. 'You can go play ball or do whatever, Utsu. Just don't go out of the gym or the club room, alright?'

Utsubara nodded, without uttering any words of recognition. The basketball team's manager expected the blonde Sora to stand up and run around the court to find a ball but instead she was cemented on her seat, watching the players practice. Now Megumi was worried.

For the first time in Utsubara's short and innocent life, she felt insecure. It would be surprising to say that a young girl of seven felt apprehensive of herself. But here Utsubara Sora was, feeling very much uncomfortable because there was a boy right across her.

But not just any boy. The redheaded boy across their side of the court looked so mighty and righteous it got Utsubara intimidated. Never in her whole life had she seen a little boy surrounded by an aura of superiority, some sort of supercilious ambiance enveloping him. The way his cold, calculating eyes appraised her was like being looked down by a grown-up. Suffice to say, Utsubara was unnerved.

However, Megumi misinterpreted it. She reputed that Utsu merely wanted to play with the boy but was too shy to approach him. So she, moved by compassion and personal experience, decided to help Yuki's younger sister. She gently placed her hand on top of Utsu's head.

'So you want to play with him then?' the brunette manager asked the child smoothly while pointing at the redheaded boy across.

Utsubara followed the direction where the finger was pointing and was devastated when she saw that it led to the redhead. 'N-Not particularly...'

However she had been a moment too late to respond because Megumi was already dragging her towards the boy. Once they reached him, Utsu's heartbeat accelerated. She didn't want this to happen. Yet thanks to Megumi, it unbelievably did. And right now Utsu hated the cheeky senior for bringing her to him, to the lion's den.

Megumi spoke for Utsubara, 'Hello there! So this girl'—she pushed Utsubara towards the little redhead—'wants to play with you. Is that okay?'

Megumi gave the little redhead her most dazzling smile, one she constantly used when she wanted something or when she wanted the team to double their effort in their practices. The boy stared at the smile for quite some time until giving in by saying, 'Fine.'

Megumi clapped her hand. 'Great! So, Utsu, I'll call you when practice's done, okay? Here, you can play with this ball at the other court.' She got one Spalding from the racks of balls and gave it to Utsu.

'Play nice, okay?' She winked at them and trotted back to the other side of the court, only to leave the newly (somewhat) acquainted children in an awkward silence.

'So...' Utsubara was the first to snap the chord of silence. She held out her hand for the boy to shake. 'I'm Sora Utsubara.'

What Utsu didn't expect was that the boy only lamely stared at the outstretched hand ready to be shaken by his. 'Akashi Seijuro.'

Utsubara, seeing that the boy only stared at her hand, dropped it and let it fall limp at her side. She tried another approach: she held out the basketball to Seijuro. She offered him a smile. 'Wanna play?'

Utsu received a premonition by the young Akashi's look at the ball that something dynamic was going to happen. She waited and waited and the moments ticked by, soon seconds past until she saw the very miniscule nod of Seijuro's head. You had to squint to see the small motion. And that tiny beckon sent a smile flitting to her lips.

For Utsubara, it seemed like a lifetime ago when her apprehension had been aroused by the young redhead. it seemed like a new beginning for her. She was happy now. Seijuro Akashi might not be a talker, but at least he hadn't harmed her (yet). She grabbed his arm and led him to the other court, the one currently unused by the basketball team.

'Do you know how to play basketball?' she patiently asked Akashi.

Again, Seijuro Akashi shook his head a little bit. 'No.'

Now Utsu's smile grew wider. For the first time, she had a playmate that didn't know at least a sliver about basketball. Now it was her turn to teach someone basketball. 'Come on, I'll teach you.'

She dribbled the ball while walking over to the position below the basket. 'So basketball is—'

Akashi countered her, 'But isn't basketball just shooting the ball in the basket? Why do lots of people like it?'

The young Sora shrugged. 'I guess basketball is fun. I mean I find it fun because I was practically raised by basketball-loving people.'

She sighed before continuing, 'Well shooting hoops is the fundamental point in basketball but when you have a father and a brother who are equally passionate in this sport, it is more than placing the ball in the basket.'

Akashi was impressed to hear a child his age talk like a grown up. He noted that she used fancy words when speaking highly of basketball. 'So can you teach me?'

Utsu giggled. 'Sure!'

She dribbled the ball and yet again, Akashi was impressed. But he wouldn't admit it to her out loud. It would be embarrassing—losing to a girl, being beaten by a girl. 'So the first position is the center. Most of the time, the center is the tallest of all players. He's responsible for both offense and defense inside, yeah?'

Akashi could only nod in awe. minute by minute, Utsubara Sora had never failed to impress the young red king. Utsubara continued, 'He's also responsible for the rebounds. A rebound is when the player of either team obtains the ball after it is being shot or failed to go into the basket, okay?'

She passed the ball to Akashi who barely caught it. 'Shoot the ball.'

The red king was still holding the ball. 'but I don't know how to—'

'Just throw the ball into the basket. It's easy.'

Hence, Akashi threw the ball like he'd throw a rock and, as expected, it did not go in. It barely managed to reach the ring. Utsu bit back a laugh. Seijuro attempted to glare at her. 'Don't laugh at me.'

Which, of course, stimulated the Sora to laugh uncontrollably to the point where she was already on the floor laughing, literally. Little did she know that Akashi was irate now that he was laughed at. He kept glaring at her and finally said loudly but not enough for the other court to hear, 'I said shut up!'

Utsubara blinked and stopped laughing altogether. She sensed that Akashi was not joking and was genuinely annoyed at her reaction. She quickly stood up and dusted herself. 'Dude, I just laughed at you. No need to get your knickers in a twist.'

Akashi remained silent. Utsubara coughed and passed the ball again to him. 'Okay. So before I teach you anymore vital details about basketball, I have to teach you one of the most basic things in it: how to shoot.'

She stood beside Akashi and demonstrated him how the position when shooting. 'So you bend your knees like this and you hold the ball like this.'

She handed Akashi the ball and Akashi imitated her position a few moments ago. Utsubara watched him with her hand on her hip and her other hand stroking the small of her chin. She tilted her head to the side as she closely examined his shooting position. 'Hmmm, it's not quite right. Hold the upper part of the ball with your right hand and the lower part with your left.'

Akashi obeyed her. Utsubara thought the position was perfect but it was lacking one more circumstance. 'Bend your knees a little bit more.'

Akashi yet again conformed and bent his knees a little bit lower this time. When Utsu was finally satisfied she placed both her hands on her hips and yelled, 'Now stretch your knees and shoot that ball!'

Seijuro Akashi, with all his will and might, bent his knees and arms and shot the ball. He was just about jumping. But of course, numerous circumstances weren't on his side so the ball did not go in as expected from a seven-year-old basketball neophyte. But nonetheless both children felt proud. Utsubara patted Seijuro's shoulder. 'It wasn't bad, Sei. It was a good start!'

A ghost of a smile appeared on Akashi's face. 'Maybe.'

'Tell you what: I'll become your manager and teach you the ways of basketball just like Megumi there.' She pointed at a certain blessed bosomed girl wailing her hands over her head shouting indignantly at the players.

'You're going to become scary?'

Utsubara laughed. 'No, silly! I'm going to take care of you! Like the combination of a mother and a sister and a coach, you know?'

Akashi was too young to understand, too young to fathom the beginning of a beautiful friendship that had blossomed on this day. So, having insufficient amount of knowledge of what he was about to diverge in, agreed to Utsubara's proposition. 'Um, okay?'

'Great! so let's start now, shall we?' she stood right next to Akashi and was starting to explain to him how to dribble when Sora Yuki called out from the other court, 'Utsubara! Let's go!'

Two little heads whirled around to confront the owner of the said voice. When they saw it was a tall blonde curly-haired young man, Utsubara relaxed. 'Coming!'

She turned back to Akashi. 'I gotta go now. See you tomorrow?'

Akashi could only nod. He lived around here and simply stumbled upon this place. He wasn't too sure he could find his way back here but he promised himself he'd try. For her, his new manager, his new friend.

Utsubara beamed. 'Great! so I guess this is a tempo-'

' Sora Utsubara! Get your butt here this instant or else Megumi will kill us both!' Yuki yelled from the other side.

'Coming, Yuki!' Utsubara yelled back. Akashi noted that she didn't add in honorifics at the end of her older brother's name.

'Bye, Sei!' And with that, she ran to the other side, grabbing her brother's outstretched hand and skipped with her brother (who was walking) towards the exit. When she was already at the exit, she turned around and waved at him.