Chapter 7: Change

"Hey, Daiki!" Mikoto called out as she chased after the boy running up the stairs. He was taking the steps three at a time with his long strides, and she was struggling to keep up. "Slow down! You're running too fast!"

"You're just slow, Miko!" Daiki called back, his tone clearly indicating that he was wearing his usual bright grin. He had managed to convince her to follow him to the roof, and he seemed all too eager to get there as quickly as he could. "Hurry up!"

"Let's see you try to run up these stairs in a skirt- we'll see who's slow then," Mikoto retorted in exasperation, pulling at said skirt as she made sure it stayed in place. Even if she was wearing shorts underneath, she still didn't want anyone seeing more than they should.

"Don't complain!" Daiki laughed as he reached the top of the stairs, glancing over at his cousin who was only just reaching the last flight. He shook his head and teasingly clicked his tongue at her slowness, before pushing through the doors to the rooftop and disappearing from sight. "Come on, slowpoke."

"Showoff," Mikoto mumbled to herself with a short exhale. Really, Daiki knew he was quick on his feet- he was just trying to show that he was faster than she was. Once she reached the top of the stairs, Mikoto took a moment to catch her breath and straighten out her uniform before she reached for the door, pushing it open and walking out into the sunlight. For a moment, the shift in brightness momentarily blinded her, and she had to blink a few times to adjust her eyes to the transition. However, once she got a proper hold of her sight again...

"Surprise, Shirato-cchi!" The cheerful voice Mikoto recognized as belonging to Ryota Kise greeted her, the blonde model grinning cheerfully as he stood amongst three others- one of whom included Daiki, who stood in the middle of the group and held a round, chocolate frosted cake in his hands. Stuck into the cake were 6 candles- one big one and five small ones- all lit with the wax slowly melting away. Was this...

"Happy birthday, Shirato-san." Tetsuya Kuroko confirmed her suspicions, inclining his head towards Mikoto in a friendly manner. A small smile of his own played on his lips as he observed her stunned expression- and that was when Mikoto realised what was going on.

"You guys..." Mikoto trailed off for a moment, taking a moment to register everything. "That was what this was about?"

"Of course!" Satsuki Momoi tutted, bounding up to the older girl and grasping her hands as she swung them playfully. "Why else would we go through the trouble of getting you up here, Miko-chan?"

"These kids just roped me in at the last minute," Shuuzo added with a slight shrug. She was the most surprised to see him here- he'd given no indication at all that he was part of something like this, and she'd seen him around more often than any of the others. "Been a while since we'd done something like this, so I figured I'd join in."

"But senpai, you were the one who worried the most about whether Shirato-san would like everything we prepared." Tetsuya said all this with a tilt of his head, and Shuuzo's face in turn suddenly flushed bright red.

"Hey, don't just say stuff like that," He grumbled, earning a vaguely apologetic shrug from Tetsuya in return. However, even with his unchanging expression, he certainly didn't seem very remorseful...

"Hey, Earth to Miko." Daiki snapped his fingers in front of her face, distracting her from absentmindedly staring at everyone else while his other hand remained holding the cake. "Are we going to get on with this, or not?"

"I…" Mikoto halted, feeling immensely touched at the effort the guys had gone through for her. Overwhelmed by suddenly having everyone's attention focused on her, she grew immensely flustered and settled for bowing formally towards them- a good excuse to avert her eyes. "Thank you very much for all of this!"

"Lay off the formalities, Shirato." Shuuzo chimed in again, and Mikoto could almost hear the roll in his eyes. "We even got you cake- let's just eat before the wax gets all over the place."

"Only because you insisted." Mikoto chuckled as she straightened up, smoothing her uniform out somewhat shyly. Her mood had brightened immensely- she'd been having a bit of a rough week with all the work her teachers had been dumping on them so early in the semester, and this made her feel much better. As she accepted the plastic cake knife Satsuki offered to her, she shot a pointed look at her cousin before adding. "And if you shove my face in the cake like last time, I'll murder you."

"No promises." Daiki smirked.

"Last time?" Tetsuya repeated under his breath, raising an eyebrow. Leave it to Daiki to mess around like that.

"Alright, everyone!" Ryota announced. "On the count of three- one, two..."

As the five teens proceeded to sing for Mikoto, she shuffled her feet awkwardly- she never knew what to when the birthday tune was being sung- but her smile never left her face. She'd never really been surprised with a celebration like this before, and it meant more to her than she could ever express, even if she might have seemed stiff and awkward. She didn't even really do that much for or hung out a lot with the basketball team, and yet these guys...

"Make a wish!" Satsuki urged Mikoto once the song was finished, snapping her out of her stupor. After a moment of thought, Mikoto decided on the one thing she wanted the most ad she blew out the candles, spurring a round of applause from the small audience gathered around her. The attention made her blush again- if they knew how corny her wish was...

"Congratulations, you're now old." Daiki faked a large yawn, unable to cover his mouth due to the fact that he was currently holding the cake. "Now hurry up and cut the damned cake. I'm starving."

"You're always hungry." Mikoto retorted good-naturedly, taking the cake from her cousin as she set it down to slice it up- she made sure to cut a bigger piece for Daiki.

"Oh yeah, Shirato-cchi!" Ryota called eagerly as they all sat on the floor of the rooftop, eating their respective slices of cake with disposable napkins- supplied by the ever efficient Tetsuya. The blonde's smile was bright as he spoke to the birthday girl, handing her a small, wrapped package as he did so. "We got you a gift, too. We hope you like it!"

"Hm?" Mikoto eyes widened slightly as she finished up her slice of cake, placing the napkin aside and brushing off her hands before accepting the gift. Once she swallowed the last of her food, she allowed herself to speak. "Are you guys for real? A birthday present on top of all this?"

"Of course!" Kise appeared almost affronted at her remark. "It's not a birthday party without presents!"

"What is it?" Mikoto asked, turning the wrapped-up box around in her hands, as if making sure this wasn't all in her imagination. This had far exceeded any of her expectations...

"The point of presents is to open them and find out," Shuuzo stated bluntly. Mikoto just shot him a playfully exasperated look, lightly punching his arm in response. She knew Shuuzo well enough to be comfortable with jabs like these. Tearing her eyes away from the former team captain, Mikoto proceeded to unwrap the present slowly- choosing to peel off the tape and folds instead of ripping it open unceremoniously. When she finally got to the small box inside all the wrapping paper and opened it...

"Oh?" Mikoto lifted out the bracelet that was sitting inside the box, turning it around and examining it with fascination. The accessory consisted of several loose straps that all joined together at the clasp, and there was a sole, bronze charm attached to it in the shape of a wing. The cylindrical metal clasp even had her surname carved into it- a small, personal detail that only added to the charm of the little gift. It was simple, and it would go with almost anything- just how she liked it.

"Do you like it, Shirato-san?"

"Like it? I love it!" Mikoto grinned- heck, she was certain she hadn't stopped smiling for nearly the whole time since she'd come up here. "Where did you get this?"

"Aomine-kun was the one who found it. It was his idea to have your name engraved, too," Tetsuya responded. Mikoto shot her cousin a surprised look at the revelation, but he just averted his gaze and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly- Mikoto could've sworn his ears were a bit red, too.

"I thought I remembered Kise saying that he helped to promote the store before. I figured we could get a discount, that's all," Daiki muttered, trying to seem nonchalant.

"That is actually a lie. He went right in to buy it without asking any questions." Tetsuya corrected plainly.

"We only split the bill later," Satsuki added as well.

"Shut up." Daiki growled, scowling at his teammates. Mikoto just laughed, evidently amused at Daiki's flustered state- he always was a bit shy when it came to his emotions.

"That's really sweet of you, Daiki," Mikoto said, only half teasing. Daiki's face reddened even further at the comment, much to her delight.

"I got it because we had no other ideas." Daiki retorted, though he wouldn't meet her eye. Fondness swelled in her heart at that- for all that he likes to pretend to be gruff and tough, Daiki had an unquestionably caring side that manifested itself in both direct and indirect ways. She knew what he was like- just as he knew her as well. With that thought in mind, Mikoto leaned forward to wrap her arms around Daiki in a hug.

"Thank you, Dai-chan." She teased him lightly with the nickname Satsuki had given him long ago, failing to hide her smirk when she heard him sputter.

"H-hey!" Daiki tried shying away, but Mikoto hung on with a wicked grin on her face. She shot a glance at Tetsuya over Daiki's shoulder- he wore a warm smile on his face, and it wasn't difficult to tell that the rest of Daiki's teammates were watching his struggle with the same amusement. "What's with the creepy affection all of a sudden? Back off!"

"Aomine-cchi is getting shy, huh?" Kise laughed, much to Daiki's aggravation.

"I am not!" He denied, resorting to trying to pry Mikoto's hands off of him.

"You really are, Aomine-kun," Tetsuya added, though anyone could tell that he was trying very hard to keep up his passive tone. Even Shuuzo was laughing quietly- a sound that warmed Mikoto's heart somewhat. He hadn't been laughing as often since his dad fell ill.

"Tetsu, you traitor! Don't side with him!" Daiki retorted, glaring at his shadow with all the venom he could muster as soon as he managed to pull Mikoto off of him at last. She couldn't hold back the raucous laughter that poured forth from her lips once they were both free, and for once, she couldn't care less about how snorts punctuated her breaths as everyone else laughed alongside her. Even Daiki finally cracked, though he was trying- and failing- to hold back his smile. It was nice to share a moment like this amongst themselves- just to laugh and be happy with each other. It was only a brief moment of peace, but still, it was the kind of memory that she would never forget- no matter how short it was.

"In all seriousness, though... thank you- all of you," Mikoto confessed as she looked around at all her companions. She was glad to have them- and she hoped this would never change. That was what she had wished for- that they would all continue to play their silly little basketball games together and continue to share moments like these. Basketball wasn't just a sport for them- it was practically ingrained into their lives, and was the thing that tied them all together.

Mikoto looped the bracelet around her wrist and fastened it on the spot, her blue eyes softening as she gave a small, happy smile. She wanted this to be a constant part of of all of their lives, to just be happy as they stood together and played the sport they loved so much. Even if she couldn't join them on the court, just watching them was enough- the rhythm and the sounds ams the heart* of the game had found a place in her life just as much as it did in theirs. This gift would stand as her own personal testament- a reminder of the relationship they all shared now, and the wish she had made.

"I'll always wear this from now on."


The straw in her cup tapped against the empty glass bottom as Mikoto idly swirled it around with her finger. She hadn't realised how quickly she'd finished her soda, but it hadn't been enough- not with her taking sips at intervals while she recalled what had happened in Teiko and relayed it all to Himuro. The boy in question had listened to her retelling with such attention that she'd felt almost embarrassed- he hadn't even stopped her to ask any questions, merely nodding occasionally to assure that he was following her.

"So, that's it," She concluded, once she finished explaining what had happened at the train wreck that was the Miracles' last competition together. "After that disaster, we just stopped talking. I hadn't seen hide nor hair of any of the other Miracles until Murasakibara-kun came along."

Himuro nodded in acknowledgement of her words, his gaze contemplative as he took a moment to digest everything she'd just divulged to him. She'd started from the moment that Akashi took his place as team captain, and explained how each and every one of them had started drifting apart as they reached their final year. She'd graduated before she could witness the brunt of it all personally, but her close contact with Satsuki and Daiki had ensured that she had a much clearer picture of what was going on while she was gone. She hadn't quite believed just how bad things had gotten until she'd witnessed them play at the Nationals- and by that time, it was too late to stop anything.

"Is that what you want, Miko?"

The words Daiki had shouted at her when she'd stormed out of his house, right after admonishing him for their game against Meiko still echoed in her ears. She hadn't cried then- she'd been too furious to give him that satisfaction- but she had allowed herself a few tears when she was alone. The only petty satisfaction she derived from that ordeal was the fact that she still had his hard drive full of movies with her, and because they'd had their fight, he couldn't ask to have it back- and she wasn't eager to return it either.

"I can see why you wanted to discuss this privately," Himuro murmured as he met her eye again. "I appreciate you trusting me with this knowledge. This is something... very personal."

"It almost feels good to talk about it, to be honest." Mikoto sighed, leaning back into her chair. "My parents never asked what happened. They only know Daiki and I had a falling out from how we behaved the last time his side of the family came up to Akita for New Year's."

Himuro released a slow, lengthy exhale, his index finger tracing the rim of his own coffee cup as he did so. "Your cousin is the ace of the Miracles. I almost still can't believe it. What a small world..."

"I just can't believe it took Murasakibara-kun so long to catch on." Mikoto almost smiled bitterly at that. After Murasakibara had found out exactly who she was, he'd been on his merry way- but not before he'd tossed a comment over his shoulder, asking if she was the one who'd put together those snacks for the team back in middle school up until their second year. When she'd responded positively, he'd appeared like he wanted to say something before thought the better of it- but not before he'd mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "they were good". Mikoto wasn't quite sure how she felt about that awkward compliment.

"Atsushi really never hung out with you? Not even once?"

"No. Like I said, I only really spent time with half of his squad." Mikoto released the end of her straw that she'd been playing with- the poor tortured thing had been bent all ways and sideways around her finger, resulting in a crinkly mess. "It felt like I'd be intruding if I tried to get friendly with all of them for no reason."

"Intruding? But weren't you their manager?" Himuro appeared confused, and Mikoto realised she'd forgotten to mention her role- the story behind the Miracles had taken up most of her retelling.

"No, I wasn't part of the club. I only hung around because their previous captain was a close friend... and because the actual manager couldn't cook to save herself. It was hard to leave a team to that kind of torment," Mikoto explained, a small smile on her face as she remembered how both Shuuzo and Daiki had almost begged her to become their manager just to save them from Satsuki's culinary feats. She'd still refused, but she did take over lunch duty occasionally for their sakes. "After Daiki joined up, I just kind of kept coming back, even after Shuuzo-kun quit."

Himuro seemed to pause slightly at that, but it passed quickly as he asked, "Why'd he quit?"

"His dad got sick. He decided to focus more of his time on his family instead of basketball." Here, Mikoto ran her thumb along her bracelet again, murmuring, "Sometimes I wonder if it would have been different if he'd stayed. If Akashi-kun hadn't become captain, then..."

Then what? A voice at the back of her head sneered. It wouldn't have done anything but delay the inevitable, and she knew it- Shuuzo's retirement and the ordeal with Shirogane were just catalysts to the problem. It would have been ignorant to pretend otherwise. Mikoto clenched her teeth momentarily in frustration- she hated feeling so helpless whenever it came to this. Satsuki had her skills as a manager, and Tetsuya was the Phantom Sixth Man, but her? What could she ever do to contribute to fixing everything that had gone wrong?

"That's quite the complicated situation." Himuro suddenly spoke up, drawing her out of her thoughts. He had a rather solemn expression on his face, but sympathy reflected clearly in his eyes. "I guessing you don't talk to your cousin very often anymore."

"Not if I can avoid it." Mikoto huffed, resuming her absent task of mangling her straw. "But I can't say I'm happy about that."

"It's hard to make peace with someone you've distanced yourself from." At that, Mikoto's eyes sharpened, feeling a surge of defensiveness. Even though the logical part of her knew Himuro didn't mean it that way, the way he'd said it made it seem like her situation was her fault.

"He's the one who distanced himself." She retorted, trying to keep her tone steady- she didn't want to snap at Himuro for something he didn't mean to imply. She knew she had tried everything in her power just to reach Daiki- he was the one who drifted too far out of her reach and refused to turn around. "I just got sick of having to try and fix everything when he's not even making the effort to do the same."

"Maybe you don't have to fix things. Maybe you should just try to reach a compromise." Despite the unchanging calmness on Himuro's face, there was a notably soothing note in his voice when he spoke again- it would appear that he'd caught on to her aggravation, despite her attempts to rein it in. Mikoto had the decency to appear apologetic at that- though she did take his words into consideration.

"That's still going to be hard," she murmured, stabbing her straw into the bottom of her glass before releasing it- she silently swore not to touch it again. The poor thing had suffered enough.

"I can offer a suggestion." This time, Himuro's words piqued her interest, earning a curious glance from her. He appeared to be thinking about something as he cupped his chin with a hand. "I think I know how to make it easier to do that."

"How so?"

"You can start slowly with what you have. Maybe try getting to know Atsushi- he's tied into this problem too, after all."

That... was not what she'd expected at all. With no lack of confusion, Mikoto questioned, "How is that going to help my situation with Daiki?"

"If you can find a way to get along with Atsushi, making peace with your cousin will be a breeze." Himuro shrugged, as if that made all the sense in the world. While Mikoto agreed somewhat with that- at least conversation with Daiki was bearable in comparison to the few words she'd exchanged with Murasakibara.

"You'll understand if I doubt that train of logic."

"The problems that your cousin is facing, aren't they similar to the faults you find in Atsushi?" The way he put it so bluntly made Mikoto want to protest, but when she paused to think of a comeback, she found that she came up short. He was making a valid point, and when she realised that, she began to consider his suggestion more seriously. Her attention must have been noticeable, because Himuto nodded then and said, "Think of it as practice before the main challenge. What have you got to lose by trying?"

Mikoto was silent as she stewed over his words- Himuro had a knack for making her do that, she absently noted. She'd been left in the same state of contemplation and self-doubt when he'd admonished her behaviour at the station, too. While she knew the logic in his current statement was far-fetched, and maybe even an attempt to help her get along with his own friend, he still had a point. If she could learn to handle Murasakibara and all of his quirks- as both a student and a Miracle- then maybe she would learn how to approach Daiki in the future as well. She wouldn't like it- she knew that much. But learning to adapt and bend to at least be civil in his presence would be better than the stalemate she was now in.

"I'm still not applying to join your team for this," She spoke up at last, raising an eyebrow shooting Himuro a warning look. He appeared amused at that, a slight chuff of laughter leaving his lips.

"That's fair."

"And if I'm going to do this." Mikoto took a deep breath, the words she was about to say already leaving a sour taste in her mouth. She liked to believe she was capable of handling most things on her own, but when it came to Murasakibara... "I'll need your help."

"I agree. The last conversation you attempted with him nearly ended poorly." The way he answered so promptly, without any hesitation made Mikoto want to blush. Was her rocky relationship with Murasakibara *that obvious?

"You're okay with helping me?" She asked, not quite certain if Himuro would accept so willingly. He didn't appear to be the type to aid others without personal gain, but...

"You didn't have to ask." The slight smile that upturned the corners of his lips as he said that sent a wave of relief flooding through her. It would appear that her misconceived impressions of Tatsuya Himuro would just keep getting knocked down, over and over by the boy himself.

"Thank you," She said- and she meant it. Himuro nodded in return, a slight smile on his lips before he suddenly averted his gaze. As he leaned back in his chair, Mikoto thought she saw a glimmer of reluctance reflected in his eyes before he spoke again.

"So, I guess this is where I should pour out my own sob story to you now- just to make things fair."

The lightness in his voice sounded genuine enough, but the expression that had disappeared just as quickly as it crossed his face lingered in Mikoto's mind. She had to admit- she was indeed curious about Himuro, given that she knew close to nothing about him, but...

"Only if you're willing to share. Personally, I think I've spilled quite enough details for the both of us right now." Mikoto scratched at her cheek, suddenly feeling a flood of embarrassment overtake her as she realised just how much personal information she'd given away. Still, she continued, "And like you said- some things are better off staying personal. I trust your judgement on that."

For a moment, Himuro looked at her- and there was something different in his eyes, something she couldn't recognise immediately. But just like before, it was gone in an instant- and the way the muscles in his forearm seemed to relax as he rested his elbows on the table didn't escape her notice. "It's not nearly as sad as yours, I assure you. But... you're right. Maybe that's a story for another day."

Before she could help herself, Mikoto scoffed at that. "Just 'sad'? Not going to give me any specific ratings or reviews?"

Himuro appeared surprised at that, before realising she was joking. He pretended to think about it for a moment, before he exaggerated his words in an evidently sarcastic manner. "Good buildup and pacing, but no parental death or secret powers? I'd give it a five out of ten."

"Huh. That's a more generous rating than I expected." At that, Mikoto actually smiled a little before she stood from the table- she was starting to feel all that soda catching up to her all of a sudden. "If you'll excuse me a minute though, I need to make a quick trip to the restroom. I'll be right back."

"Don't worry, Director. Filming continues in ten minutes." At his reply, Mikoto couldn't help but hide her grin behind her hand as she walked away. Maybe she was right- Himuro really wasn't that bad of a guy after all.

...

Back at the table, Tatsuya watched as Shirato walked out of sight, the smile on his fade slowly falling as he reached up once again to touch the ring hanging around his neck. He still wasn't sure why Shirato had trusted him with her past so quickly- even if he'd been curious, it still caught him by surprise. It didn't seem like an effort on her end to get him interested in her- she was just talking to him over coffee, like an old friend. Was she just that trusting? He was positive she hadn't spilt all her secrets, but still... that smile on her face before she'd covered it had been so sincere he was certain that she wasn't doing it on purpose.

For a moment, Tatsuya wondered what it would be like to be like her- to be able to just say everything that was weighing on her, and to ask for help. He wondered if he shouldn't have hesitated- if he should have taken the opportunity to share his burdens as well, just to get it all out there and off his chest. Maybe it would have made him feel better, too.

But at that moment, he decided he'd wait to see about that another time.


Edit date: 30/6/2018

AN: Sooo the more fluffy scenes will be coming along starting next chapter! (Took long enough pfff) Can't wait for the awkwardness I'll have to suffer through once again, haha!

All of my thanks goes out to Savage Kill, Rhythm15, becky157689, Fairy Skull , angelbeets, WalkingOnShadows, csd14ll, kitsune light, PlzGives , MeisterPanda, Romance-Oubliee, ClassDummy101, Hind-x, SillyLittlePeachy , Sachiko Keidi Honoki, Guest 1 (in response to your review: I'm glad you like the pacing so far! I'm honoured that you think so highly of this story- I hope I don't disappoint!) and Guest 2 (thank you for your praise! I hope this update is good enough for now!). Do forgive me for not being able to thank you all individually like I normally do- running two fics at once has given me quite some confusion regarding who did what. But I still really appreciate the support you guys have given me! See ya'll next update