Hey hey hey! I want to think you guys for the reviews, favorites and follows, again. It means a lot! And I am so sorry for this late update! School and homework kept me busy

So I finally came up with Hogiwara's special ability. I. still need to perfect it though. For now it's a big clump in my head. It will be revealed in later chapters.

And Aomine is as harsh as ever, no surprise there.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no basuke or any of its characters.


Tuesday


Hogiwara adjusted her glasses, eyes intensely fixated on a page. She had borrowed a book from the library not too long ago and was now finishing it. It was a fiction of two or three hundred pages, an easy read for anyone who read fast.

She threw a sushi in her mouth, munching on it. Aomine stared at her. Hard. Hogiwara slowly shifted her orbs onto his and waited. He didn't say a thing, only kept staring while chewing on a rice ball.

"Do you. . . need something?" she asked hesitantly.

"The Lovely Bones," he read out loud. "What kind of crappy title is that, weakling?"

She didn't respond and raised the book higher. She didn't want to answer him. The more she ignored him, the faster he would leave. It was as easy as that. Although the young girl wanted to take a step closer, and get to know him better, she knew Aomine was just too blind to see it. Or rather, he did his best to ignore it.

Momoi skipped over to them and sat next to Aomine, a grin on her face. Hogiwara put a bookmark in her book and closed it. This was all too suspicious. Momoi rarely grinned. She was more of the smiley type.

"Either you got a good grade or you've decided to show your hidden crazy side."

Momoi shook her head no, the grin never faltering. Instead, it grew even wider, to the point of being almost disturbing. "I want to invite you over this Saturday."

"Well, you see—"

"Sakurai is invited too."

Hogiwara remembered her friends' promise. They said would find a way to let her in the team. What if this was what they had been talking about? True, she too was excited to see what they had reserved for her. There was no way she was turning this opportunity down.

"Okay. I'll go over to Ryou-kun's and we'll take the bus to your house."

"Great!"

Hogiwara quietly finished her bento. She had agreed to Momoi's plan of her own will. Yet why was it that she felt she would probably regret doing so? Well that wasn't a surprise, considering agreeing with Momoi always came with doubts. The girl was sometimes as wicked as Fu, Ku and Su combined, keyword being sometimes.

Aomine was unfazed by this. He had gotten used to Momoi being friendly towards this girl he disliked so much. The pink haired manager barely spent time with him at school anymore, and that made him feel even worse than the loneliest loner. Why did Hogiwara insist on playing basketball so much? She was a weakling, and weaklings stayed weak.

Aomine suddenly lost his appetite. He stared at the bento Hogiwara had made for him in disgust and pushed it towards her. The young girl looked at him in surprise.

"Um. Y-You've only half finished it."

He stood up and departed. Hogiwara sighed. The day she would prove to him she wasn't so weak would come. For now, she had to bear with it.

After school, she dropped by the gym to watch the team train, as she often did. As expected, the guys were practicing under the supervision of their coach. As usual, Aomine wasn't there.

Sakurai noticed her and discreetly waved at her. She waved back. Wakamatsu yelled something right then. Sakurai answered and jogged over to him. Hogiwara toyed around with her mp3 player as she left.


Thursday


Aomine prepared to go home, waiting for Momoi by the door. She skipped over to him, humming to herself. He snorted. Her cheerfulness was sometimes extremely ridiculous and at the same time, funny. It amused him to no end when she would talk about nonsense, when she embarrassed herself unconsciously, when she was friendly to people she barely knew.

And that's why he liked to have her around, not that he would admit it out loud. Being the self centered bastard he was, there were things the ace would never say out loud. He preferred keeping them to himself.

"Dai-chan. You're ready?"

Momoi's voice interrupted his musings. He nodded sluggishly. She walked in front of him, but Aomine didn't follow. He all of a sudden had the urge to go to the gymnasium, even though he knew who was there. It was stronger than him.

He turned around and headed for the opposite direction.

"Dai-chan?"

"I'll be right back," his deep voice answered.

Momoi shrugged and stood by the gates.

Aomine reached the gymnasium sooner than he thought he would. From where he was, he could see Sakurai instructing Hogiwara. The young girl listened, eager to start. Sucking in a breath, she hopped—yes, hopped—and threw the ball. It met with the rim, ran in circles around it before falling away from the net.

Aomine watched as she tried and tried again. Out of ten shots, she made five, in other words she made half.

"Good," Sakurai congratulated. "You need to jump though. When you jump, it helps you shoot more accurately."

"I try to," Hogiwara said, gulping down a bottle of water. "I really do. But it seems I'm more comfortable hopping."

Aomine chuckled, catching their attention. He directed his gaze towards Hogiwara, who stopped halfway through drinking. She lowered the bottle, wondering what he was doing here.

"Only rabbits hop, weakling."

"I'm not that weak," she murmured. It was loud enough for both of the boys to hear.

Aomine stifled a chuckle. This girl made him laugh, in all honesty. "Prove it. Beat me."

"I have no intentions of beating you. All I want to do is play by your side."

Not being able to hold it in anymore, Aomine threw his head back and guffawed loudly, holding his stomach. This was the joke of the year. He managed to control himself and even then, he still bore a half smirk. "You want to play by my side you say? Not even in your dreams."

Aomine turned his back to her. Not sooner had he taken one step that her voice filled his ears.

"I might not be as good as your old shadow, Kuroko Tetsuya. Heck, I'll never be as good as him, that's one thing I know. But no matter what you say, I'll do what it takes to be your new shadow, Aomine-kun. I'll keep trying until I've succeeded in doing so. Believe me."

Aomine felt mild anger rising in him. This girl was starting to piss him off. He was fine with her believing in her own words. But did she have to bring Kuroko up? What was the point in that? How did she know of him in the first place?

He clenched and unclenched his fists, keeping himself from just going there and doing something he'd eventually regret. Sometimes, too much was too much. "I hate weaklings. . .," he glanced over his back, his face calm, his eyes storming, "that are all talk."

He left. Sakurai let out a breath he didn't notice he had been holding. He suddenly realized how lucky Hogiwara had been. Aomine was a man of little patience, and he wouldn't hesitate giving someone a beating when he was annoyed.

"I think you took it a tad too far, Airi-kun."

She shakily adjusted her glasses. "I think so too Ryou-kun. I think so too."


Friday


Last day before the weekend, as well as the last day of the before last week before vacations. Everyone was excited and most already began making plans with their friends.

Hogiwara felt lonely in her corner. Momoi was absent today because she had the flu. It wasn't very surprising. The school uniform for girls consisted of a dress shirt and a simple skirt. When wearing that under the cold, who wouldn't get sick?

Now it was just her and Aomine. Their little talk came back to her. His words rung in her head, as clear as crystal. They spun round and round, faster and faster, to the point where she could no longer focus. She put her book down and cranked up the volume of her music.

Aomine didn't pay her any mind. He simply toyed around with his food, remembering the events of yesterday too. "I meant what I said," he said.

He wanted to make Hogiwara understand that not everything happened within the snap of a finger. There were things she wasn't made for, and basketball was one of these things.

Hogiwara paused the mp3 player and pulled her earphones out. Aomine's head was lowered, thus rendering her unable to see his face. She imagined what his expression would have been. A serious one. One that would make anyone distance themselves from him. However, she knew better than to be one these people.

"So did I," came her answer. Her tone was decisive, firm and resolute, albeit with a slight hint of doubt.

In any other case, that would have concluded the discussion. We all know though that Aomine is as stubborn as a donkey.

"Why do you insist so much?" he asked.

"Because I feel you have a great ability, one that could use skills as minor as mine."

"Forget it weakling. You—"

"No. I am not a weakling," she interrupted sharply. "A weakling is one that has no strength whatsoever to defend him or herself. And yes, I might be weak, but I am not one."

Aomine snorted at this. He sat up straight, leaning in his chair and placing his hands against the back of his head. "Talk all you want, I still don't believe in your bullshit."

Hogiwara sighed. She racked her brain to find a way to prove her point, to prove to him that she wasn't a weakling. Prove him she could do alright by herself.

"In that case. Starting Monday, don't expect anyone to be helping me. Not even Momoi-san. I will work. . . by myself," she said, the last words slightly choked out.

Aomine gazed at her. Her face expressed no second thoughts on this decision. She seemed okay with the fact of turning down Momoi, who'd helped Hogiwara so much. From the beginning of the year up until now.

He crossed his arms over his chest. "If you can do that, then I won't estimate you to be so weak anymore."

Hogiwara felt hope surge in her. That was what she wanted to hear. It was the remaining element that would at last help her completely focus on basketball. She managed to keep her emotions in check with much difficulty.

"Hai."

Aomine shook his head. It was worth giving it a try, wasn't it? He could always go back to his old habit of calling her the word she claimed didn't fit her.


Saturday


Hogiwara woke up at eight am. She showered quickly and picked out a pair of blue jeans, a long sleeved knitted tee and boots. Afterwards, she dressed up and grabbed her glasses and mp3 player just as she hurried out her bedroom door.

The sight of her sister sitting at the table and her mother talking on the phone greeted her. She took a sit and began gulping down the scrambled eggs either her mom or sister made for her.

"Wow slow down stiff stick. Is your boyfriend coming home again?"

"No Kira. I'm going over at a friend's house. And for the last time, Ryou-kun isn't my boyfriend."

"Yeah, and I'm the Queen of England."

"You're only 19."

"Shut it smart-ass."

Hogiwara smiled to herself. Sometimes, Kira seriously reminded her of Aomine. A girl version of him, that is.

She put her plate in the dish washer, gave her mom a quick hug, waved a 'see you later' at Kira and thumbed her way in the street. The nearest bus stop was a seven minutes walk from her house. Hogiwara plugged the earphones in her ears and headed there.

A cold breeze blew past, and she shivered, wishing she had taken her coat. She had been in such a hurry she had forgotten to take it. Well it was too late now.

As she stood under the red panel with a bus sign on it, she thought of many things Momoi could be planning. She also thought of many ways to ask Momoi to stop helping her so much. She didn't want to be too rude, simply understandable.

Sakurai had been waiting for her by his doorstep. They greeted each other, a short period of time during which Sakurai gave her his jacket, waving away her words of protest. They took the bus to Momoi's house, who immediately opened the door five seconds after they rung the bell.

"I'm so glad to see you! Please come in," she said with a heavy voice, characteristic of the flu.

Sakurai and Hogiwara did so. They took off their shoes and slipped on the socks placed in a basket for visitors, politely said hello to Momoi's parents and followed her into her room. And that's where they felt less comfortable.

The manager's room was entirely as pink as her hair, with the same colored panthers ornamenting the walls. A queen sized bed lay in the middle of the room. In the far corner was a desk on which was a computer, and a chair half pushed underneath. In another corner there was a pile of magazines and a CD player. To top it off, the carpet itself was a bright, almost eye-hurting neon pink.

Hogiwara and Sakurai could, on normal circumstances, stand seeing pink. But being in a room where everything was pink was an entirely other thing.

"I'm sorry, I forgot to warn you. Here, I'll take you to our basement."

The basement was much better. The walls were white, and the tiled floor had a regulate pattern. It was as cold as ice. For all furniture, three chairs, one underneath a desk with a mirror on it.

Momoi pushed Hogiwara towards that specific chair and forced her to sit down while beckoning Sakurai over to another chair. He sat and kept silent, his Adam's apple bobbing as he gulped. Momoi kneeled down and searched through a bag they hadn't noticed her bringing.

"Airi-chan, before we start, are you tonsurephobic?"

"I am not particularly afraid of getting a haircut," the brown haired girl replied, suddenly realizing what was going to happen.

Momoi got out a pair of scissors and a small towel, which she wrapped around Hogiwara's shoulders. "Well then, I hope you enjoy!"

"And done!" Momoi took a step back, bent down to pick up the remaining strands on the floor and threw them in the bag.

Hogiwara stared at her reflection in the mirror, quite pleased with the manager's work. Her now chin length hair was tucked behind her ears, and shining slightly because Momoi had insisted to spray hair perfume on it.

"What do you think Sakurai-kun?" the pink haired girl asked.

"It looks. . . good." Sakurai was at a loss for words. Hogiwara, with chin length hair, and no glasses, earnestly looked like a boy. He was only assured this was his female best friend when she placed said glasses back on the bridge of her nose.

"Thanks Momoi-san," she said, removing the towel.

She prepared herself for her next words. It might hurt a bit, or a lot depending on how Momoi felt. But she had to do it. It was another step to take if she was ever going to join the Touou Academy basketball team. "And Momoi-san?"

"Yeah?"

"I won't be needing your help anymore."

Momoi froze, and so did Sakurai. It took her a while to encase the true meaning behind these words; their true significance.

"W-What are you—"

"I made a promise to Aomine-kun." Hogiwara fingered a strand of her that had slid to her jaw. "If I can prove I don't need help doing some things, then he would respect me, in a way. I want him to see me as someone else, you know?"

Hogiwara turned to her friends, a smile gracing her features. A true smile, complete with a few teeth. One that even reached her eyes. "From now on, I want you to see me as an ordinary basketballer, an ordinary student. I want you to see me as Aomine-kun's partner."


Voilà! So yeah. From now on, Hogiwara will be working solo. This story is going as intended, and I am truly pleased with that. Hope you enjoyed the longest chapter I have written yet. And I hope you all understood the plan was for Hogiwara to act like a boy, even though I didn't precise it. Until next time!

~AHAL

Song I listened to:

Centuries by Fall Out Boy