A/N: This is a longer chapter because I wont be able to update for at least a couple weeks I have exams. Thank you to: Cocopop55 and zZhell-butterflyZz for the kind words. To the guests who reviewed, I really appreciate your comments and to the people that reviewed and gave me ideas, I think that they are wonderful ideas and I will be incorporating bits and pieces of them further in the story. Anyways hope you enjoy it. R&R


•Mikami Yukiko•

I felt a lot better this morning. Ari and I woke up early today, she had a basketball trial. I had researched a little on Japan's basketball tournaments in the area and discovered two of them -Inter High and Winter Cup. I read about them to make sure I wasn't just a tag-a-long. I also searched up some information on the Generation of Miracles.

We walked to school without any drama and went around trying to find the gym. There were 3 gyms at Rakuzan, one was for volleyball and badminton, the other one was a multipurpose gym and the last one was for basketball. We had just walked in on a bunch of second-years playing volleyball and it ended up being pretty awkward considering the fact Ari had flung open the doors for a dramatic entrance and started to yell. She didn't too bothered when they all stared at her weirdly.

"You were at the gym yesterday, how could you forget where it was?!" I exclaimed for the millionth time that day. Ari grinned sheepishly, "I have a pretty screwed sense of direction. Lets just ask someone."

"There's no one here. Unless you want to ask the volleyball players." I replied smirking a little. She frowned, "No way, that was pretty damn awkward."

I giggled and we continued walking down the freshly cleaned hallways. It was now 7:51am and if I remember correctly, her trials were at 8 in the morning. Another 9 minutes to go, although it probably won't matter if we're a few minutes late. Our little walk took us to the cafeteria which was, of course, deserted.

Ari flopped down on a table, "This sucks, why aren't there any maps here?" she whined and spread herself out on top of the table. I took a seat near her head and poked her, "You wouldn't be able to read a map even if there was one."

She tilted her head and glared at me, "Shut up Yuki."

"Never." I replied grinning. We ended up bickering for a few minutes. We would have been late, but thankfully Mibuchi showed up.

"Were the two of you lost?"

We mumbles yes's in reply. He smiled at us and starting walking towards the gym. Ari and I followed in silence, there wasn't much to talk about anyways.

When we arrived at the place, there were already a bunch of people practicing. There was an awful lot of noise, it's amazing we didn't hear it when we walked through the school earlier.

"Here we are. Sei-chan and the others are down there." Mibuchi said pointing at the far end of the basketball courts. I could see Akashi's bright red hair and Nebuya's massive build from here. Two others were sitting on the bench along with the coach who was standing behind them. We made our way over, walking on the outer most sides of the gym so as to not disturb everyone's training, they all seemed to be working pretty hard.

"Morning!" Ari called out, waving at them as we walked.

Akashi looked at us, "I see you made it on time." He said. Ari and I stopped about a meter away from them.

Ari gave him a sickly sweet smile,"Why of course we did," she said, her tone matching her smile. She returned to her usual self a second later, "So, how's this gonna work?"

Coach Shirogane cleared his throat, "Arianna Sanders, correct?"

Ari nodded.

"You played in America, in the Dragonfly's team, as their ace." The coach stated. A ripple of surprise went through the team and anyone who heard the coach's words, even Akashi raised his eyebrow. I could see why, the Dragonfly team had won the Spring Championships, three years in a row.

It was basically a basketball tournament that was held in either the season of Spring, hence the name of the championship. There were three main divisions for the teams - Under 14, Under 16 and the Under 18. It was a national event and over 1000 clubs sign up for it each year. The actual tournament is only the finals that occur during Spring, the rest is played out by going against other clubs. It's like the Inter High that Rakuzan participated in last term. The numbers were cut down to about 5 teams of both genders for each division for the Spring Championships. It was a extremely high achievement to just get into the tournament, let alone win. The players come from all over the country and foreigners also participated. Many had skills that had been polished to perfection and have had lots of experience. It played at a higher level than the Inter High and the upcoming Winter Cup, although the Generation of Miracles could have made it in I suppose.

Ari and her team were newly established but they played in the Under 14 rounds in their first year of becoming the Dragonfly's. She and her team were all 12-13 years old and they completely triumphed the Under 14 division, coming out on top with a clear score. This happened again in the second year and in their third year of playing for the Dragonfly's, the event managers decided to let them play in the Under 18 division instead of the Under 16. They won, but barely this time. Most the players on the team were 15 when they had won, this resulted in many broadcasts and magazine articles. You could say they were the girls equivalent of the Generation of Miracles.

"No way!" Hayama gaped at Ari, "That can't be right! And you played as their center too?!"

By now the entire gym had crowded over to us. Ari clasped her fingers together and placed them on her head. "We didn't actually have any set positions, it was a 'oh look, that's a free spot, I'll just run there and take the shot' kinda thing."

"Impressive."

Everyone turned to look at Akashi. I could tell by their reactions that he rarely gave out compliments.

"Yes, very impressive indeed. Not only that," Coach Shirogane turned to look at me, "Mikami Yukiko was also playing in that team as well as being the assistant manager."

The attention was on me now, I blushed. "I-I didn't p-play in the Championships, I just helped a little." I stammered awkwardly, I sucked at talking to groups.

I did play in the tournament, but only once and that was because one of the girls had twisted her ankle in the first year and I was sent out. It was in the last three minutes and I didn't really contribute at all.

"You were the assistant manager to one of the most successful teams in America, you must have done something. Either way, I was just confirming that it was you two that I saw in that report." The coach said, "Sanders, get on the court, you're playing one-on-one with Nebuya.

Nebuya looked startled at the mention of his name, "Hm, oh right, okay then." he said and scoffed down the sandwich he had been eating.

"Uh, wait a second." Ari began, cutting off the noise that had started to rise, "I didn't exactly dress for this..." she said pointing at herself. I'd forgotten she was wearing the formal uniform. I doubt she could play in a skirt and leather shoes. "So where are the change rooms?"

"In there." The coach said, gesturing to the side door. "Hayama, show them the way."

Wait, them?

"Sir, can I just stay here?" I asked quietly. The coach looked surprised, "Why?"

"I don't need to get changed, do I?" I responded, my voice getting quieter and quieter with the increasing awkwardness.

Coach Shirogane raised an eyebrow, "I though you wanted to trial too. If not why are you here? No outsiders are allowed so if you don't have anything to do here you'll have to leave." he stated bluntly.

"Um, I came to support Ari and um, I also wanted to ask if I could help with the managing..." I trailed off not knowing what else to say. Most the crowd had gone back to training so I wasn't as embarrassing.

"Show me your skills," he said and gestured for me to start observing the non regulars on the court.

I turned to face the courts and walk up to the side line. Deep breaths seem to be able to calm me down these days so I took a lot of them. I saw a black haired player shoot from the foul line, his right foot edged in front just before he took the shot. He went for the shot again but this time his foot didn't move, it was a fake. He twisted around and I saw the movement of his foot again as he threw the ball. Halfway down the court a pale, hazel colored hair player was practicing dribbling against two others. His movements were sharp and agile but his eyes were a dead giveaway. He would always glance in the direction he was going to next. A few meters away from him was another player who was playing defense. I saw the problem with his late reactions right away. His stance was a little too close together and his knees were locked making it harder to move as quickly. I relayed my observations to the coach.

The older man inclined his head slightly, "Good, you may be of use to the team, I suppose."

At that moment Ari stepped out. She was dressed in her dark blue and orange Dragonfly uniform and wore neon green and pink Nike's. "We playing now or what?" she asked as she drew closer to the bench. Nebuya let out a huge burp in response and stood up. Mibuchi scolded him but the bulky player ignored his words.

"Let's play!" Nebuya roared, "Don't worry, I'll go easy on you."

"I'd like to see you try." Ari said back, tossing her bag to the floor. The people who were just practicing had cleared the court and were gathered all around the sidelines, eager to see the match. It's not every day you see one of the regulars play off against a girl. Definitely not a girl who played at a national level. I grinned, Ari had a lot of speed and stamina behind her. Her accuracy increased the the further away she was from the basket although her shooting range was from the base line to the three point line. She normally took all her shots from the inside. Strength-wise, I'd say she was around the average level for girls her age. Her reaction speed was incredible, however, if she is on the court for too long without breaks, Ari's timing starts to be a little off.

I looked at Nebuya. He would have an enormous amount of strength with that build of his. His stamina and speed were unclear until he actually started playing, the same goes with his reaction, timing and accuracy of shooting. Hayama picked up a basketball and tossed it to Ari who spun it on her finger.

"What are we playing?" Ari said aloud.

"It's just one-on-one, get started." Coach Shirogane cut across her words. Ari shrugged and threw the ball to Nebuya, "You can start."

The onlookers started to whisper. She was being cocky and I seriously wanted to hit her then, underestimating someone never ends well. I just face palmed instead and she caught my look, "Hey, look on the bright side, you'll get more information." Ari said cheerfully. I rolled my eyes. Yeah sure, because I can't get information while he's on defense, great logic Ari.

I shut my eyes for a moment and I heard the ball bounce once on the court, then once again. Check. My eyes were open now, even from the first bounces of the ball I could tell Nebuya had some serious strength. He drove to to the right and did a quick crossover to the left and went straight for the basket.

Nebuya dunked, but nothing went in. "What?!"

I smiled, that was one of Ari's techniques. She would force you to change direction and then she would stop her defensive play long enough for you to think you can score a basket. As soon as you go for the shot she would steal the ball. This required lots of speed and precise footwork so she usually used it at the start of a game.

Ari had made off with the ball and dribbled to the three-point line as they agreed earlier. Nebuya had already recovered and was standing in front of her with a wide defensive stance. Ari continued to bounce the ball on the three point line, making no other changes to her position. She gave him a big grin and bounced the ball through Nebuya's legs. The muscly player had turned around immediately to run after her and managed to get in front only to be fooled by an impressive fake. The ball hit the backboard and went in.

The score was 2-0, to Ari.

The crowd of players murmured in disbelief. I saw the coach and the regulars shocked faces, well apart from Akashi.

"She's good."

I shrieked causing everyone to look at me. I nearly had a heart attack, I turned to see who had spoken. Standing behind me was a 6 ft tall grey-haired boy. "W-who are you?" I asked shakily. He gave me a blank look and walked away, completely ignoring my question.

"That was Mayuzumi Chihiro, he's a 3rd year regular. Don't worry Mika-chan, he's always like that." Mibuchi had walked over and gave me a reassuring pat on the back. I nodded, I was a little stunned from that encounter, but my attention went back to the game. Nebuya had the ball again and went to dunk.

"Muscle Dunk!"

The basketball smashed through the hoop and hit the ground with tremendous force, nearly hitting an unsuspecting Ari on the head.

"Watch it, you could've hit me! It's a game, not some murder marathon!" Ari loud voice resounded through the gym as she picked up the ball.

"Sorry pipsqueak, didn't know you were that weak." Nebuya replied smugly.

Ari shot him a deadly glare and they resumed their play. She dribbled forward at a high speed then stopped suddenly and changed direction, heading to the center on the three-point line. Nebuya was a fraction of a second too late and the ball went through with a swish. Three points to Ari, the score was now 5-2.

More whispering erupted from the crowd. It may have looked easy to get past Nebuya but I could see the level of concentration Ari was in. She had to time everything perfectly or her opponent would have a chance to steal the ball.

The basketball was returned to Nebuya and they kept going at it. He scored two points and another two after he managed to steal the ball from Ari. In return, Ari countered hid shots and dribbling.

This continued on for a while and neither of them seemed to be winning. After about 10 minutes, the score was 24 all. Coach Shirogane had stopped the game there and beckoned them to come over.

The coach inclined his head in approval, "As expected of a national player. Training is on Monday and Tuesday morning and Thursday afternoon as well as every lunch break."

Ari paled. "How early do I gotta wake up?"

"Be here at 6:30am."

Well, there goes her sleep-in time.

"Also, Mikami, you will come to training as our manager. Same times." The coach said turning to face me.

My turn to pale now. I needed my sleep too! At least I can contribute to the team I suppose, even if it means being near Akashi.

"The rest of you, clear out. Class starts in five minutes." Coach Shirogane raised his voice and dismissed everyone, "Mikami, Sanders stay behind and I want all the regulars here, now. Mayuzumi that means you too. "

"Fine."

I jumped and just managed to hold down my shriek. It was the grey haired student again. Dear lord, he freaks me out.

"The Winter Cup is starting soon, I expect you all to perform your best." Coach Shirogane began, "I will be away for the next three weeks, so I leave your training menus to Mikami. She will be in charge of them. That is all, you can go now."

"What?!" Apart from Akashi, who remained stoic as usual and Mayuzumi who didn't seem to care, the rest us voiced our thoughts.

"Why?!" I yelled, completely forgetting to be polite. I don't want to have any major role in this, especially if in entrusted with something.

"What the hell, I'm not taking orders from a girl!" Nebuya joined in with the shouting.

I turned and gave him an angry look, "Don't be such a sexist pig!"

He snarled back, "Well I'm not doing it! Especially of you can't even play!"

We got into a mini argument while the others were yelling over the top of us.

"Calm down, don't get violent yet!" Mibuchi panicked slightly at the sight of his furious teammate.

"I'll die if Yuki's in charge! Have you seen her?! She's the devil when it comes to practice!" Ari wailed.

Hayama was the only one with a good question and he had to shout extremely loudly to be heard, "Why are you going away, Coach?!"

The forty or something year old man let out a frustrated sigh, "Business, Hayama, I'm away on business." He answered.

I saw Ari give the coach a weird look and complained, "So what? I don't care what you do, just don't make Yuki do the training! We'll all be six feet under if she gets a word in!"

"Hmph, I'm still not gonna listen to a girl." Nebuya said stubbornly.

Another argument erupted, this time it was between Nebuya, Hayama, Ari and I. We caused a lot of commotion and only stopped when Akashi pulled out his newly sharpened red scissors.

"Quiet."

We all shut up. I don't know how he does it, but every time Akashi speaks it makes you want to listen to what he has to say and agree with it.

Coach Shirogane nodded his head in thanks to Akashi, "No exceptions, Nebuya you will listen to what Mikami tells you to do, as well the rest of you. Akashi, I trust you know how to handle this situation so I leave you in charge." After saying that, the coach picked up his folders and left the gym. Just like that, no other explanations.

He just upped and left. We just stood in utter silence, it didn't last long, of course.

"Well shit, it's Thursday, so training at lunch and after school. I'm gonna get some sleep before Yuki sends me down to hell." Ari commented and yawned for the added effect, "Later guys." She walked out the same way Coach Shirogane did and didn't even bother to get changed.

Mibuchi smiled, seemingly unaffected by what just happened, "We should be going too, class is going to start soon." As if on cue, a shrill bell resounded through the school.

"See you all at lunch." I mumbled and hurriedly grab my things and left. I didn't see Mayuzumi after the coach had left so I assume he already got changed. The other basketball regulars were still inside the gym. I managed to make it down the hallway before I nearly died.

"Akashi Yukiko."

I shrieked. It was Mayuzumi, again. He had stepped out of the shadows. See what I mean, I barely know him and he's this close to giving me a heart attack. He has no presence whatsoever, I bet Halloween is his favorite holiday. Wait, what did he just call me?

"Akashi Yukiko," he repeated and I realized I had voiced my thoughts, "That's what your name will be soon, won't it?"

Oh, the marriage.

I stayed silent, not knowing how to respond.

"You should be careful, Rakuzan has many students with powerful families. I suggest you keep this arrangement to yourself or you'll find yourself in a bit of trouble. Not everyone will like the fact you're about to make off with the Red Emperor. " Mayuzumi said quietly. It sounded like he was giving me advice and warning me. What was more chilling was the fact it sounded like he meant people here would murder me if they knew about the 'arrangement'. Hang on a second, who was the Red Emperor? Was that Akashi? Who knew people here would gave him that title, or nickname. I opened my mouth to ask for him to elaborate but I was cut off.

"Enough Chihiro. Leave her, she doesn't need to know."

"A-Akashi-kun!" I said in surprise.

It was just one thing after another. First Mayuzumi nearly gave me a heart attack and now Akashi's making me feel so nervous I feel like I'm going to black out.

Mayuzumi frowned, "You should tell her anyways." he said and walked away, blending in with the surroundings.

"Akashi-kun, what are you doing here?" I asked nervously.

"I'm in your class."

Well that makes me feel like an idiot now. Akashi started walking and I realized he had changed back into his formal uniform. His crimson hair swished slightly as he walked and I found myself rooted to the spot just. staring.

"You'd better hurry, or we'll be late." His rich voice echoed in the hallways. I still hadn't moved, I don't know why but I felt that I couldn't. I kept staring.

Akashi stopped as he reached the end of the corridor and titled his head slightly to look at me, "Are you coming or not?"

I blushed madly. I found my legs and quickly ran to catch up with him. He escorted me to the classroom and pulled the door open for me. I mumbled a thank you and hurriedly sat down in my seat. I heard the handsome basketball player explain why we weren't on time and I saw him sit down gracefully as if he owned this place. I wondered what it would be like if we did get married, would it be that bad or would I eventually fall in love with him. I jerked myself awake from my insane daydreaming.

Oh no, this wasn't good. I think, I think I might have a tiny, little, microscopic crush on Akashi Seijuro.


A/N: Yay, chapter 7 is done! Please stay tuned, I will continue the update will just be a little more spaced apart. Review please, it means the world to me.