黒子のバスケ: 少し的不服従
Kuroko no Basket: A Little Disobedience
"Whenever there is authority, there is a natural inclination to disobedience." ~Thomas Chandler Halliburton
The weeks that they had to train before the arrival of the Winter Cup, had flew by faster than expected. All the players worked hard until their muscles ached so much, that they felt they would go numb and fall off. Riko left the drilling and conditioning of the Seirin team to her father. As the team headed out for their running drill outside, Riko walked over to him.
"So how are they doing?" she asked.
"I admit they've gotten a little better from the last time I was with them. But that invisible kid, I don't really know what to tell you; I can't even see his potential." He explained. She just smiled meagerly.
"That doesn't really surprise me though."
"Oi, what about that girl you have; how come she's not training with the lot of them?" he inquired.
"I left her boyfriend in charge of her." she replied in a chuckle.
"What did you say?" she suddenly heard Kotone's voice question in a surly and annoyed growl. It sent a chill down Riko's spin. She spun around and saw her, her arms crossed and looking at her derisively. Riko tried to calm her nerves.
"Oh, Makoto-kun, you're back from training with Ryu. Um, I was saying that you're improving too." She covered. Kotone gave a simple, 'mmm-hmm' and a nod, though she didn't buy it. The boys finished their last lap and rested as soon as they checked in. Kuroko walked up to Riko.
"Excuse me coach; when's Kagami-kun coming back?" he inquired.
"He said he should be coming back by tomorrow." She replied. "You must miss you're teammate."
"Kinda." He replied impassively.
###
The next day, the team headed out to the basketball stadium for the commencement ceremony. It was where all the teams that qualified would be playing. Already it was being filled with a countless amount of spectators. As they walked in, Kotone was stunned. She had just begun to get used to the massive crowd of the interhigh competition, but that quantity was nearly doubled in the Winter Cup. Already anxiety began to creep up on her; she knew it was vital to her pride not to seem nervous, especially with seasoned players around. She stood still, her clammy hands holding each other tightly behind her back. They hurried and lined up in straight, organized bunches. Even on her tip toes she couldn't see past the other players.
"And now we will commence the National High School basketball competition; The Winter Cup!" they heard the announcer declare loudly through the microphone. A wave of cheers and excitement fluctuated through the stands. The Winter Cup never gained much mass appeal, but ever since they began to publicize it, year after year they began to gain more and more people to watch.
Kotone looked around to scope out the competition as the ceremony continued. As expected she saw a few members of the Generation of Miracles scattered here and there. She saw Kise with the Kaijo team, Midorima with Takao and the Shutoku team. She didn't see Aomine or Murasakibara though; they might be up in the front or way in the back, she figured. She heaved a sigh of relief; seeing any of those two would provoke her certainly.
By the time the opening ceremony had ended, Kagami had finally arrived. Because of his tardiness, he unfortunately had to face Riko's wrath.
"What took you so long; huh Bakagami?!" she scolded hitting him upside the head.
"Take it easy coach; it's not like he wanted to be dragged back to the U.S because of his father's business trip." Hyuga tried to sooth. Even though Kuroko intended to greet Kagami, he was paying more attention to his phone. Kotone glanced over her shoulder and saw him.
"Who's texting you?" she asked.
"No one." He lied. She stared at his phone and read the text; Kuroko, come and meet the others and I at the entrance of the stadium promptly. Go alone—Akashi.
"Who's Akashi?" she asked.
"Just and old teammate." He replied impassively.
"Is he a member of the Generation of Miracles?" she inquired. He nodded.
"Let's go see him." She said, tugging at his jacket.
"I'll go by myself; it says I need to." He protested.
"Just let accompany you; what's the harm if I do?" she asked. He looked at her sternly.
"My answer is still no." he said taciturnly with a serious look. "Believe me you'd want to remain here." He said, leaving as Riko was still scolding Kagami for being late. Coaxed by curiosity, she quickly followed after Kuroko while everyone was still distracted. She trailed behind him at a safe ten feet or so outside to the front of the building. Sitting on the steps, she saw that the entire Generation of Miracles were gathered, or rather summoned there. She saw the lot of them; Kise, Midorima, Aomine and Murasakibara—the last two she loathed to see. Kise turned around and spotted Kuroko. He smiled.
"Hi Kurokocchi!" he greeted elatedly. He then noticed Kotone tailing behind him. She placed an index finger on her lips, gesturing him to keep quiet. He chuckled softly and waved. "And hi Kotocchi!"
"Dammit Kise and your big mouth." She cursed. Kuroko turned around and shot an icy glare at her.
"I told you not to follow me." he told.
"Oi." They all heard a familiar someone say.
