~ Sorry for the wait :) here's the next chapter and I will try my best to have the next very soon, thanks for your patience~
After practice Hikari was hesitant to return home, worried that she would have to confront Aomine again. So she decided to stay out a bit later, her mother wouldn't be home for a while but she would have to let Satsuki know to not expect her home just yet. With a sigh she flipped out her phone tapping out a text to her twin. As she typed she couldn't help but smile at the small pink star charm that hung from her phone, a gift from her boyfriend. He had given it to her when she had left for America with her father. And just like that she knew exactly how she was going to spend the next hour or so.
She was almost skipping as she approached his room. She tapped lightly on the door just to be sure he was there, and she was not disappointed.
"Come in." The voice from inside answered. At this she slid open door loudly in a single movement.
"And how is my boyfriend today?"
"Hikari-chan?!" Teppei Kiyoshi exclaimed in shock at her unexpected arrival, but it was soon replaced with a stupidly happy expression. "I thought you were in America?"
"I was, but it just wasn't for me. Plus, my boyfriend is here how could I not come back?" She told him with beautiful smile crossing the room to sit on his bed lightly.
"Oh, well in that case I'm so glad you are back." And he returned the smile with equal happiness if not more. They both leaned in for a long overdue kiss. And when their lips finally parted Kiyoshi pulled her into his arms, treasuring each others presence. For a while two of them were content to stay as they were but soon Kiyoshi spoke, though softly, almost a whisper.
"How are you doing?"
"I am fine… Things are just a bit more complicated is all." She dismissed his worries his with a smile but it didn't reach her eyes, and he noticed.
"But it still hurts you." She simply sagged in defeat, she still couldn't hide the truth from him, he knew her too well.
"Not exactly…I can still play basketball, but I am afraid to. And I still can't face Aomine-kun, even though I know it wasn't his fault at all…" He didn't say anything but simply hugged her closer but it said enough. "So how is your leg? Are they going to release you soon?" At this Kiyoshi avoided her gaze guiltily.
"It's okay…But they aren't going to let me leave for awhile…"
"Why not?!" She snapped with a mixture of irritation and worry. He had been at the hospital for quite a while now and should have been, by all rights, discharged weeks ago.
"I may have strained it…"
"Kiyoshi!" She chided, whacking him over the head angrily.
"I'm sorry Hikari-chan…"
"You better be! You have to get better to be able to play with Serin again!"
"I know, don't worry I will be out and playing with everyone soon enough. Plus I have to officially introduce you to them."
"About that… I sort've became the manger for Serin…"
"Huh?"
"I know it sounds crazy but I wasn't ready regular again so I just signed up as a reserve player and went for the open manager position, which I got."
"Wow…But wait! They don't know were dating! They are going to kill me! Especially Aida-chan…." He almost cried when he realized what he was in for.
"Sorry, your own your own for that one. She's scary!"
"Hikari-chan…" She just laughed at his pouty face warmly. Right there, in his arms, everything was alright.
The next day Hikari went about her school day as usual but when lunch came around she had to wonder where her almost invisible friend had wandered off to, seeing as how they had planned to have lunch together. She eventually did find him, though mostly by pure chance. She just watched on with humor as Tetsuya gave Riko-san quite the shock, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, to ask her to make him an official player on the team. But the answer he got was cryptic one.
"You can, we do have plenty of room on the bench…" She told him, handing him the form he would need to fill out. "BUT! I will only accept your form on the school roof Monday, at 8:40." She knew Kuroko must be puzzled by this but he didn't show it and simply nodded his head in understanding.
"Oh Momoi-san, good, just the person I was looking for. Could I possible speak to you in private for a moment?"
"Sure, could I meet up with you in a bit Tetsu-kun?" He just nodded good-naturedly and exited the room.
"Thanks, just don't want to spoil the surprise. I need your help with something…" Hikari just nodded as she listened to the older girls' plan.
"You just need to stall the teachers as best you can while I get the bunch to announce their goals properly."
"But I am really not very good at these sorts of things…"
"You'll do fine! We only need a few minutes, not much at all!" The coach said with a smile and utter confidence. Hikari caved.
"Okay…"
"Great!"
Hikari did her best and Riko's plan almost succeeded but one of the freshman took too long and the teachers got to them before Kuroko had his chance to speak. But the next day someone wrote in chalk the words "We will be the best in Japan." on the school field, and no signature was needed.
—
"So your practicing with us today?" Hyuga commented kindly when he saw Hikari enter the gym with her hair in a high ponytail and wearing workout clothes rather then her uniform as they learned she did on the days she would join them.
"Yeah, but just for the drills, no games for me." She said with a almost sad smile as she began to stretch.
"Hey Momoi-san… you played at Teiko right?"
"Well I was a regular, but I rarely played…I was another odd exception like Tetsuya-kun but for different reasons entirely."
"Eh?! A regular?!"
"Oh? I didn't mention that?" The answer was unanimous.
"NO!"
"Ah… gomen." She apologized sheepishly.
"Does that mean you're one of the Generation of Miracles?!" Koganei asked suddenly.
"Well I guess technically… But to be honest I am nothing like them. They are true prodigies."
"That's what Kuroko-kun said too! Did you get an article?!" At this almost all of the boys began flipping through a sports magazine.
"Oh, no I didn't. They tried… but the man they sent was a creep or something so the rest of the team scared him off."
"It had to be done." Kuroko declared, his voice taking a icy tone. At this they all took three steps back from him and began practice instead of pushing further. It wasn't hard to tell that Kuroko Tetsuya defiantly wasn't someone you wanted to antagonize.
Once they finished drills they ended up doing another scrimmage game so Hikari stepped aside once more and watched as they played. She had felt Kagami's intense gaze fixed on her during the drills, and she could almost feel his frown when she ducked out of the game. She was truly impressed by what she saw of Kagami when he played. True, he had a long way to go but he was already improving quickly. If given time and room to grow he could become terrifying powerful player.
"Oh everyone! I meant to tell you all! We have a practice match against Kaijo! Isn't it great?!" The coach beamed as she skipped over to stand beside pink-haired girl as the team stopped to listen.
"Ah Tetsuya-kun…" She called out to her friend tensely. "Kisa-kun is at Kaijo isn't he?"
"Hai." Was his instant answer.
Hikari said nothing but her aura practically screamed 'I AM ANGRY'.
"Kisa is one of the Miracles, right?" Koganei questioned and once again they turned to look at the sports magazine from before but with a renewed interest.
"Though only joining the Teiko basketball team in in his second year of middle school Kisa Ryota quickly rose to join the first string as a rapidly improving all-rounder." Koganei read aloud for them. "And apparently he part times as a model." He added
"Good at basketball and good looking, that's brutal!" One freshman sobbed dramatically.
They were all so intent in their conversation that they failed to notice the blonde teen that burst into the gym until he had leaped on to Kuroko and crushed him in a suffocating tight hug. "Kurokochiiiiiiiiii! It's been so long!"
"Nice to see you Kisa-kun." At this the blonde stranger turned his head, not letting go of Kuroko, to see who it was that had spoken but when he did his face became white as a sheet.
"H-hikachii?"
"Yes, now would you kindly release Tetsuya-kun please?" She said it with a smile but the dangerous aura from before was definitely still there. And Kisa released Kuroko so fast you might have thought he had been burned.
"I didn't know you were back." The blonde defended, as he made an attempt to smile at her but it was a weak one. Hikari simply glowered at him in return, sending him scurrying away to hide behind Kuroko.
"Don't hide behind Testuya-kun Kisa-kun, it's childish and completely pointless." She chided him coldly. "Burrr! The ice princess re-" But he didn't get to finish his sentence as Hikari had hurled a basketball at Kisa, smacking him straight in the face with terrifying accuracy.
"Are they always like this?" Hyuga asked Kuroko as a furious Hikari began chasing a fleeing Kisa around the gym, he having obviously done something else to irk the girl.
"Well Kisa-kun has always been rather childish but that tends irritate Hikari-san more then most and it doesn't help that Kisa-kun enjoys teasing her at every chance, even though it is becoming dangerous to his health… So to answer your question, yes they are always like this with each other."
Hyuga could say nothing to this so he settled for silence.
"Hey!" Kisa cried out suddenly when Kagami grabbed his collar as the blonde teen ran past him but released his hand when he had gotten Kisa to stop.
"Sorry to interrupt your little reunion but I want a One-on-One!" Kagami demanded with a growl but his excitement was obvious in his tone. At this Kisa's expression lost its playfulness and became serious, almost sinister.
"I only came to say hi to Kurkochii… But while I'm here I guess I could play you."
The result was instantaneous with Kisa pulling Kagaimi's own move on him while doubling the power and speed easily, sending Kagaimi to the floor. It was now obvious to both Kuroko and Hikari that Kisa had been improving much fast then they had first thought and that meant that more than likely the others were moving at similar, if not faster, pace of improvement. The future was not looking very promising.
"That was so disappointing! I can't leave after that!" Kisa moaned childishly. He paused for moment but then spoke again. "Give us Kurokochii!"
"What?!" Hikari was apparently not pleased by this suggestion.
"You can come too Hikachii" Kisa said cheerily apparently very pleased with himself. "You both are wasted here! Though Hikachii is scary…"
"Oh I'll show you scary you brat!" Hikari snarled, looking about ready to shred Kisa on the spot. Kisa paled a bit at the threat but continued his train of thought.
"Why did you both go to such a weak school?" That got a few growls from the Serin players. "Winning was everything."
"My way of thinking as changed since then, and while I am flattered you think so highly of me I will have to politely decline your offer." Kuroko answered with a slight bow and his usually blank expression.
"Wah! Kurokochii! So mean!" Kisa sobbed with crocodile tears. "Hikachii?"
"I agree. Kisa 24/7?! No way! I might end up strangling you within a week!" Hikari declared defiantly.
"Even Hikachii?! Well how about this, I'll make a bet with you and Kurokochii. If you beat me then I promise to be Hikachii's servant and not hug Kurokochii for a whole month! But if I win Hikachii is MY servant for a month and you both transfer to Kaijo. Is it a bet?"
Hikari didn't even hesitate. "It's a bet."
