Manga: Kuroko no Basuke
Creator: Fujimaki Tadatoshi
Author: Cheshire
Chapter Eight: A Little Blue Surprise
~ * 'Those who are shocked easily should be shocked more often.' * ~ Mae West.
" '…With that clear weather all over the country, today will be a refreezing day. Next, the morning show's horoscope! …' " A familiar blonde model was walking through his school campus with Kasamatsu Yukio at his side, the third year curious on what the blonde was watching on his cell.
"…What are you watching?" He asked and Kise could only smile.
"A recording of today's morning show. Because of all the roadwork lately I haven't been able to watch it." He explained and the black haired teen chuckled, placing his hands in his pockets.
"You really became serious lately, before you kept skipping it."
"Well, the training at our school goes too far..."
"Don't get cocky! I'll kick you!"
"Ouch!"
"Since when are you watching the morning show anyway?"
"Only today since Midorimacchi plays better if his horoscope is good."
"Aah, that guy from Teikou. What's his sign?"
"Cancer! And for the record, my little Takacchi is an Aquarius!"
"I haven't asked you that…" The blonde pouted at his friend not wanting to hear about Takara and turned back down to pay attention to his phone's recording.
" 'Let's begin by the signs with the best and worst luck today. The top sign is Cancer! Congratulations, you'll have nothing to complain about today! The sign with the worst luck is Aquarius. It's a shame, but you should keep a low profile today...' "
After this, the blonde stopped and stared down at his phone, quickly worrying about his blue haired companion.
"Geh?! What... It's the worst!"
The match against Seihou had finally arrived for Seirin and the team was warming up on the court along with a few other teams, loud cheers being heard from the audience, freaking out the trio first year freshmen.
"Damn… I'm super nervous." Furihata said as they stared around the large gymnasium that held two basketball courts.
"There are actually spectators…" Kawahara mumbled.
"We're not playing in a simple school gymnasium like before. On top of that, we've got two matches in a row against the kings of North and the Beast…"
"Not mentioning them being in a row… Winning just one is going to be hard…" Fukada commented, the three landing their eyes on a section of the audience and noticed a sign that was being held down by students wearing black that read 'Invincible Resolve! Seihou High school cheering squad!'
Back on the court, the Seirin and Shuutoku teams were practicing on the same court, of course, Kagami and Midorima glaring one another down every chance they got, Takara just being stuck in the middle.
"You're not looking at the right opponent, moron." Hyuuga said to the red head while slapping his head to look at the other court.
"OUCH!"
"If you get ahead of yourself and we lose in the next match, you'll just be an idiot!"
"I was just watching them a bit! I'm properly focusing on the next opponent." He said, glancing over at the Seihou team who were all wearing matching black shirts over their jerseys.
'But what are those guys...? It's true that there's some kind of air about them but it's completely different than with Shuutoku!'
"But Seihou…" Kawahara started nervously, also looking over at the Seihou team.
"They're more normal than I expected... There aren't really tall players there, huh?" Riko heard his comment and turned back to him, placing her hand on his hip.
"Well yeah, they might have small builds for a team at the national level. The tallest one of the captain, Iwamaru Tsutomu at 187cm (6'2)."
"About the same Mitobie-senpai… That's quite…"
"Fat?! Isn't he huge for his size?! He seems incredibly powerful!"
"And the control power Kasuga Ryuuhei at 179cm (5'11)." She said, glancing over at the tall blonde from Seihou.
"Those two third years are the pillars of the team." The three first years continued to stare over at the Seihou team and a voice suddenly called over to Seirin.
"Aah, you're Kagami, right?" The red head turned around and was surprised to come face to face with the shaved haired player, Tsugawa Tomoki.
"Waah, your hair really is red! Scarrryy!" The comment only caused Kagami to twitch.
"Huh?" He mumbled.
'This guy…!' By this time, Takara finally looked up from her spot on the court and noticed Tomoki as well, curious on how his playing style had changed since their middle school match.
"Captain! It's the guy you talked about, right?" He shouted pointing over at Kagami with the largest grin on his face.
"When you said that Seirin was super weak but only one guy was incredibly strong!" Of course, Seihou all twitched at their teammates loud speaking and all groaned as Riko began to shake with rage.
"Ho ho… What nice things he is saying that shitty brat…!"
"Why are you always picking a fight with the other school!" Hyuuga shouted over at Kagami with a sigh and the red quickly tried to defend himself with a scowl.
"I didn't do anything today!"
"For once, he did not." Takara commented calmly, Kagami throwing his arm out to Takara with a frown, his face screaming 'I told you!' to Hyuuga. Tomoki, ignoring the two bickering Seirin members, glanced over to Takara and smirked at the sight of her since she was pulling her sweater over her head.
"Oh, now what do we have here?" He said as he made his way over to her, knocking the others out of their anger bubbles and turning to over Takara, who looked up at the first year with an arched brow.
"Excuse me?" She said bluntly and he placed his hands on his hips, bending down so he could stare into her face.
"You're that one girl from Teikou, aren't you? The 'Generation of Miracles' one!"
"…What if I am?"
"I'm surprised to see you on the court again! After that accident of yours." He said causing her eyes to widen and Midorima, sensing something in the air, quickly glanced over and his eyes narrowed darkly at the teen who stood in front of her. By this time, almost all of Seirin were watching the two in silence and Kagami couldn't help but be curious on how he knew about the 'accident'… Had be been there?
"I would appreciate it if you did not speak of it." She said, her voice lower and her own eyes narrowing up at him, causing the taller first year to laugh down at her.
"Still as cute as I remember!" He told her with a grin, his eyes slowly trailing from her head down her front and back up, his lips turning into a smirk.
"But much more filled out." He was about to reach out and touch the side of her jaw where he spotted the scar, but his hand was harshly grabbed from over Takara's shoulder, causing Tomoki to wince at the pressure.
"Lay one finger on her and you won't be able to move this hand for weeks." Midorima threatened darkly, his grip tightening as the other freshman scowled when he realized who he was now talking to.
"You..."
"Shin?" Takara started while staring up at him over her shoulder, his green eyes still boring into the face of Tomoki.
"You need to learn that trash aren't worth talking to, Takara." He told her before finally releasing Tomoki's hand.
"Do I made myself clear?" He demanded and the Seihou first year was about to protest, but felt something hard hit the back of his head.
"Stop jumping around, you moron." Iwamaru said as he smacked Tomoki.
"Ouch!" He cried out and the captain wrapped his large fingers around the scruff of his neck, keeping the first year down in a bowed position.
"Sorry, this guy can't red between the lines." He explained.
"He always immediately says what he really thinks."
"There's no need to apologize." Hyuuga said, narrowing his eyes.
"Since we'll be the ones winning. If you look down on us like last year, you'll end up crying." He said, Iwamaru arching a brow as he hummed.
"That won't happen. And we weren't looking down on you. You were just weak. Only that." He said, dragging Tomoko back over to his team.
"Wait… Eh… Captain, didn't you just it clearly too?" He asked, Iwamaru groaning.
"Idiot, I just hate beating around the bush." When Seihou was back on the other side of the court, Midorima adjusted his glasses and sighed, looking back down at Takara who was still staring back up at him.
"Be glad that I was here and that I did not break him."
"...Thank you, Shin." She said with a small smile and he let the side of his lip twitch up for a moment before he rubbed the side of her neck and made his way back over to Shuutoku who were moving off the court and into their locker room.
"Takara! Are you alright?" Riko shouted as her teammates surrounded her, Kagami glaring over at the green haired teen.
"I am fine. Sorry for worrying you." The team didn't sound completely satisfied with her answer, but could also tell that she didn't want to talk about what had just happened.
'I don't like this…' Kagami thought, a sudden protective tug filling his insides as he now glared over at Tomoki, worried about his little friend and how he knew about what happened in her past…
In the Seihou High locker room, the boys were changing into their jerseys and Iwamaru glanced up at Kasuga who was standing next to him.
"How is it, Kasuga? Your impression about these guys." He asked and the blonde smirked, tugging off his shirt and replacing it with his number 5 jersey.
"The upperclassmen seem to have improved. And we might need to be careful about that freshmen, Kagami." Iwamaru nodded and said while finishing up tying his shoe. "Then since they're both freshmen, we'll leave Kagami to Tsugawa. As you are right now, you can anyone, right?" He asked Tomoki, who had stars dancing across his eyes.
"Yay! Great! I'm looking forward to it!" The smile on his lips only caused Kasuga to blink in surprise.
"Waah, Tsugawa is smiling..." The blonde started.
"Actually you could search all over the world, and we wouldn't find another guy like you!" That only caused the captain to sigh and comment.
"Who's smiling when playing defense..."
With Seirin, all the team members were sitting on the benches in silence, Riko staring at her team with a small frown on her lips.
'Hmm... everyone is a bit tensed after all... Especially Takara... What was with that guy...? Does she know him from middle school? And even Midorima from Shuutoku stepped in... I wonder...' She thought, thinking of how to cheer up her team.
"All of you are a bit too psyched up about it... So I've thought of a reward that'll lighten you all up! If you win the next match..." She started, putting on her best sexy face and winking at her boy players.
"I'll give all of you boys a kiss on the cheek! How about that! Ufu!" As much as she hoped they would react happily to her offer, all of them only stared at her blankly and quite unamused or slightly disgusted in Kagami's case.
"What's with the 'Ufu'?" Izuki asked.
"And the star when you're winking, it's not good you know…" Koganei commented and all of them agreed, causing the poor brunette to fall over in despair.
"MORONS! You could at least act happy even if you have to force yourselves too!" She shouted from the floor, Hyuuga, being smart, just decided to keep his own mouth shut... But, Riko of course noticed this.
"Fufufu... SO YOU WON'T GET IT IF I DON'T SAY IT CLEARLY, RETARDS! WE ARE HERE TO MAKE THEM PAY FOR LAST YEAR, RIGHT?! AAAH! WITH ONE YEAR OF INTERESTS THEY OWE US A DAMN LOT, KORAAA!" After she had finally calmed herself down, Mitobe helping to ease her annoyance, Hyuuga smirked at his coach.
"Sorry, sorry. We know that. Alright! Before we go, I'll say it again. You'll know if as soon as the match begins, but a year has already passed since then. Seihou is strong! Honestly, after our crushing defeat last year, we came to hate basketball. Just a bit more and I would have probably given up." Hearing this not only shocked Kagami, but it did to Takara as well and she continued to carefully listen to her captain. The others... just started to feel gloomy afterword...
"Waah! Don't be depressed! Recover! Fire up! Actually, it's something to be happy about!" Hyuuga cried, trying to raise their spirits up again.
"It definitely won't become the same thing as last year. I'm at the point where I truly believe that, because I have faith that we became stronger!" All the second years smiled over at him and the freshmen all grinned, cheering.
"The only thing left to do is win! Let's go!"
"YEAH!" As the team slowly stared to file out the door, Takara turned to Kagami, stopping him with her voice.
"…Kagami."
"What's wrong?" He asked and she finally spoke after a few moments of silence.
"Was there a time when you hated basketball?"
"Ha? Well... No I guess not." He admitted, rubbing the back of his head.
"For me, there was." She said, her eyes lowering sadly to the floor.
"I think the reason was different, but I understand the feeling Hyuuga-senpai was expressing. They look cheerful now, but when you come to hate something you like, it is incredibly painful. When I talked to Shin, I said that the past and the future were different things, but they are not completely separated from each other. I think that this match is an important match for our senpais so that they can overcome their past. That is why..."
"From now on, the first semi-final of the block A between Seirin High and Seihou High is about to begin!" The voice announcer called as both teams made their way onto the court, staring the other down as they positioned themselves around the centerline, Kagami jumping for the ball.
'I've never hated basketball, so I don't understand everything, but... I understand at least the last thing she said. "That is why... It made me realize again." '
'Well... Here we go!' Riko thought from the sidelines, bitting her bottom lip nervously as she waited for the referee to blow his whistle.
'Two frantic battles in a row against the Kings! The first king of Seihou!' Finally, the whistle was blown the ball was tossed into the air, Kagami and Iwamaru jumping for its grasp.
' "I definitely want to win this match."... '
Inside the halls of the stadium, Kise and Yukio had finally arrived to see the game and Yukio was of course punching the blonde as usual.
"Ouch!" He cried, whining at the third year.
"Because you were too slow when you went to buy drinks, it's already started!" When the two made it into the gym, they were both surprised at what they saw.
"Eh?" On the scoreboard, Seihou was winning, 12 points to 0.
"Eeh?!" Kise shouted in shock and Yukio groaned, worried for the other team. "Hey, are you kidding?" On the court, Kagami had gotten the ball and Tomoki was all over him, like a spider who was taunting its trapped meal.
"Wooh!"
"What pressure! What the hell is that guy?!"
'This bastard! I saw it on the DVD but in real life he's really that strong?! Seriously, in defense he's the same level as Kise!' Tomoki could only grin at the voices in the audience and once again tried to swipe the ball from Kagami.
"Ha ha!" Izuki, quick to his friend's rescue, moved behind the red head.
"Kagami, you carry the ball to much! Hand it over!" Kagami was quick to do the pass and Izuki quickly manuerved himself around Tomoki, and even Kasuga to make the first point for Seirin.
"I got-!" He started, but Iwamaru slapped the ball out of his hand, blocking the shot completely.
'I thought I was free...! And that guy showed up so suddenly!' He thought as he scowled.
"Weak. You won't be able to break our defense with attacks of that level."
'Their defense is tough!' Hyuuga thought in a panic.
'As expected from the strongest defense of Tokyo... They won't get shaken by half-baked offenses!'
"Seirin hasn't scored yet!"
"Awesome!"
Kise and Yukio, who both found seats in the stands, could only stare down at the Seirin team with worry in their eyes.
"What the hell are they doing, geez..." The blonde started.
"It was the same thing against us, but I guess Seirin is basically a team that starts slowly. But usually the one who starts accelerating is Kagami... That guy still can't do a thing so the others can't go with the flow." Yukio observed, staring down at the red head who was trying to get past Tomoki.
"Hey, Tsugawa." One of the other Seihou players, Sakamoto Kenjiro, number 7, started with a smirk.
"Being full of spirit is good but keep some for the second half." The comment only caused him to chuckle.
"It's alright!" He said with a peace sign.
"I still have lots to spare! He's not as strong as I thought!" That, only pissed Kagami off to absolutely no end.
"What the hell did you say...!" He started as he tried to pass Tomoki, but ended up hitting against him instead.
"Ouch!"
"Charging! White number 10!" The referee called from the sidelines.
"What?!" The red head shouted back and Riko was twitching on the bench.
"That idiot... Is the blood getting to his so easily?! Donate it or something!"
"Kagami, calm down!" Koganei shouted from next to her on the bench, hoping that the red head would listen to his warnings.
"Kagami, this is the second one already." Takara started on his right and he groaned in annoyance.
"I know!"
'But it's not just that.' He thought as he wiped from sweat from his chin, glaring over at Tomoki who still had a good old smile on his face.
'Damn... I thought only guys from the 'Generation of Miracles' could stop Kagami...' Hyuuga thought in surprise, also staring over at the happy freshmen.
'We can't even make proper passes... We can't use the combination plays with Takara!'
Takara had finally gotten a hold of the ball from Izuki and was ready to use her special pass and get it to one of her teammates, but she quickly realized one thing… None of them were open for her. In surprise, she brought the ball back against her chest and Riko's own eyes widened at the sight.
'Again! There's no pass course!'
"Seihou is using man-to-man defense." Yukio explained.
"But this isn't your average one, they're constantly playing like they were about to settle the match, sticking to the opponents and pressuring them. No matter how awesome the passes are, if no one is free to get them, they can't even use half their power."
"I understand the defense is tough, but if they're playing that way, they won't have the stamina to hold until the end. This guys will. Because..." Kise slowly trailed off, staring back down at Takara.
'I wonder if she will finally let her 'other' talent out...' He wondered as the blue haired girl narrowed her eyes.
'I have to do something!' She thought as her friends tried to move past the Seihou players.
'...I hope this works...' Takara thought in a panic as she got ready to use one of her passes, her teammates catching her movement.
"Kuro- Takara! Don't do it!" Hyuuga cried from behind Iwamaru, who wouldn't let the Seirin captain pass.
'What the hell is she thinking?!' Kagami shouted internally as the blue haired girl released the ball, letting it zoom over both team's heads and at the backboard.
"What in the world?!"
After the ball left her fingertips, Takara sped down the court with lightening speed and zigzagged through all the players like they weren't even obstacles in her way, shocking everyone on the field and out in the stands.
'Takacchi!' Kise's mind cried as he stood up from his seat, gripping tightly onto the railing in front of his chair, Yukio's eyes widening in shock at her decision.
"Wah, she got through?!" Omuro Yoshikasu, number 8 of Seihou shouted in a panic.
"Someone stop her!" The ball finally hit the back of the board and it harshly bounced back with the same force as her throw… Only a catch someone would could throw it, could stop… Takara made it past all the players on the court and willed herself to jump, using leg muscles muscles that a basketball player would never need.
'Now!' The blue haired girl suddenly flipped in the air and soared across all her teammates heads, the group only staring in awe.
"What the hell…?" Using the force of her flip, Takara caught the ball in her hands and winced, using the last of the momentum she had to shoot it back at the goal, watching as it circled the rim a few times before falling inside… Scoring Seirin's first point. Takara was able to flip back before she hit the ground and landed on her feet, her hands pressed against the court as if it was the only thing keeping her up.
Silence was the only thing that could be heard in the air other than Takara's heavy breathing at what they had just witnessed her do. Hyuuga, Izuki, Kagami and Mitobe who all stood on the court floor could only stare, their eyes wide as they locked down on their small teammate who sat in front of them all as the ball hit the ground, bouncing a few times before rolling off the court.
"What... Wha... WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Someone shouted from the stands, causing an uproar from everyone else in the audience.
"DID ANYONE ELSE SEE THAT?!"
"THAT WAS AMAZING!"
"WHO IS THAT GIRL?! HOW DID SHE DO THAT?!"
"IS THAT EVEN LEGAL?!"
"Takara!" Kagami shouted, finally snapping out of his daze and hurrying over to the blue haired girl, helping her stand, the others following up behind him.
"How the hell did you do that?!" Hyuuga demanded once he got to her, gently shaking her back and forth by the shoulders.
"Since... What... Why... Explain it to me!" Takara could only give a small smile, shrugging her shoulders at everyone's questions.
"Passing isn't the only trick I have hidden up my sleeve."
In the audience, Kise, and the on the other court, Midorima, were both stunned at what they had witnessed, never had they seen her use that kind of trick in Teikou. They knew she was a gymnast, but that… That was something new.
'She's been practicing.' Midorima thought as he brought his arms down for taking a shot, crossing his arms over his chest as he adjusted his glasses to see his little treasure. Knowing he had a few seconds before the ball fell through the hoop.
'…Impressive.' He smirked, the ball swishing through the net.
Back with Kise, the blonde was pressed up close to the railing to watch Takara, but heard his cell go off from his pocket. Reaching back to grab it, he opened it to see who it could be from. His eyes widened slightly at the caller ID and opened the message, reading it carefully before he slowly turned his head and peered up at the top of the stadium. His eyes narrowing when he spotted a familiar red head with a menacing golden eye...
"Time out for Seirin!" The referee shouted as Riko stood by the head table, her eyes immediately locking on her small female player as the teams hurried to their sides, the eyes of Seihou's players also locking on the back of her number 11 jersey.
'That girl…' Tomoko could only grin over at her, his interest in her growing more. He hadn't seen anything like that in their match back in middle school. Back with Seirin, the team had surrounded their coach and she glanced at all of them, a fierce look in her eyes.
"Seihou is using old martial arts." She explained and it only confused Kagami, who thought of two men fighting.
"Old martial arts?! Hi-ya?"
"They're not kicking..." She said, staring over at him like he was stupid.
"I'm not talking about the same martial arts! I mean, more exactly, what they're using is 'martial arts movements'. One of those is called the 'nanba run'. Usually, when you're running, the arm you swing forward is the opposite one of your leg but with the nanba run, you're running while swinging forward the arm on the same side as your leg."
"By twisting your body that way, there's less burden on it. It seems you lose less stamina that way." Yukio explained to Kise, who listened with interest.
"You sure know your stuff, huh?" He said the black haired third year nodded. "That's because they're an unusual team, even at the national level. There's been some articles on them in monthly basketball, too."
'I see, that's why... That guy, Tsugawa... The pressure he puts as a defender is even stronger than last year. Also it seems he hasn't given up his little quirk on Takara...' He thought, darkly staring over at the Seihou player who was practically leaping from the bench wanting to get back on the court and play.
"But... These guys aren't going to let themselves be bossed around at this rate, right?"
"Other than the nanba run they can use their strength even when not steady on their feet, move faster without losing balance, they're using various basic movements of old martial arts. That's the strength of Seihou." She continued and Kagami nodded, trying to process exactly what she was telling them.
'Martial arts movements... So, that was what felt out of place...' He thought and continued listening to his coach.
"But it's not like they're disappearing or flying. The opponents are high school students just like you! They'll fall for feints and you can destroy their balance by taking them by surprise. They're playing basketball, just like you. As long as you're playing like usual, it'll work. It's not the time to go crazy just yet!" The team smiled at the end of her motivational speech and before they dispersed, the brunette turned to Takara and grabbed her shoulders, tears filling her eyes.
"WHY DIDN'T TELL ME BEFORE YOU COULD DO STUFF LIKE THAT?!" She cried, causing the blue haired girl to blink.
"You never asked."
"GAAH, TAKARA! YOU BRAT!" The boys chuckled and turned from the two girls, Kagami scratching the back of his head before turning over to Izuki.
"Izuki-senpai, would you mind giving me the ball?" He asked, confusing his second year partner.
"Eh?"
"Let me go against that guy once more."
"Then it's alright to leave it to you? Do you have some kind of plan?" He asked with a smile and Kagami shrugged, moving back onto the court.
"No... but the guy is still human just like me, right? I just have... to go faster than the opponent I guess." Of course, that was not the answer Izuki had expected.
"Wooh, what's with that? Are you sure it'll be okay?" He asked Takara as she moved behind him.
"I think it will be alright. He is a man who will do the things he has to do."
The timeout ended and both teams quickly moved back onto the court, Kagami getting the ball from Izuki and was once again being blocked by Tomoko, who only smirked at the play.
"Oh, one-on-one? Come!" The two stared one another down and Kagami scowled.
"Who cares if you're using martial arts or whatever. Basketball is basketball, right!" With that said, the red head sped past the first year, who jumped back in his way, but was shocked when Kagami passed him again, faster than the first time.
'A counter attack with a change of pace?!' He thought in shock as Kagami hurried to the basket, scoring the second point for Seirin.
"Fast!" Tomoki muttered as the audience all gasped at what happened.
"Oooh! Seriously?! That thing just now?!"
"Lightening speed!"
"Eeeh?" Kasuga said as he chuckled, walking past Tomoki with a smirk.
"That's the first time I've seen someone pass you." Tomoki stood silently and after a while, started to laugh under his breath, confusing the blonde.
"Ha ha ha... No, it starts from now on... It's more fun when it's hard!" He said with a large grin, his eyes trailing back over to Kagami who stared the shaven haired teen down himself.
On the other side of the stadium, Shuutoku was playing against their opponents and Midorima held the ball in his grasp, taking another shot, which of course went in.
"Wooh! The third time in a row!" Someone shouted and another responded in awe. "So this is Midorima Shintarou of the 'Generation of Miracles'!" The green haired teen moved over to his captain after the shot, adjusting his glasses.
"Captain."
"Ah, you've got enough already?"
"Yes, I was able to check my sense of touch."
"Geez..." His captain said with a sigh, allowing the substitution to be made.
"Shuutoku, substitution!" The referee called as Midorima made his way off and onto the bench.
"It's only been five minutes and they're reserving him already?!"
"Shuutoku is really tough!"
"Seems like they've got it easy on Midorimacchi's side." Kise commented, watching the Shuutoku game.
"Well of course. Their opponent is an average, normal school too, with no hope of winning. If there's something to watch, it's over there..." Yukio said, commenting the Seirin battle who were losing 6 to 15.
"Is what I want to say, but..."
On the main court, the Seihou team had the ball and Kasuga smirked before tossing the ball to Tomoki, who quickly tossed it to Iwamaru. The way they were passing the ball made it seem like it was on fire and too hot to touch since it moved so fast.
'The passes!' Kagami thought in a panic, trying to find the ball which kept getting thrown around.
'They barely even keep the ball before throwing it again!' Even Takara had to admit that she was surprised and very impressed by their passes and how they wouldn't drop it at that catching speed.
"Eh?! What the hell is that?!" Furihata shouted and Hyuuga growled, him and Izuki both shouting at once.
"Mitobe, go!" The silent second year jumped in front of Iwamaru and caused him to throw the ball back over to Tomoki who tried to take a shot, but was fouled once again by Kagami.
"Foul! White number 10!"
'Hey, hey, isn't it the third one already?!' The Seirin captain shouted internally and Kagami growled, glaring over at the Seihou freshmen.
"Shit..."
'Rather than moving quickly, its just that they're barely moving at all! It feels like they're throwing the ball without preparing. Does this use martial arts too?!'
"Kagamicchi started Seirin's engine by scoring but it still doesn't get better than that, huh?" Kise asked, leaning against his hand in his chair.
"These guys wouldn't have been called Kings just because of their defense, you know. Even their offense is far above average." Yukio said and the blonde nodded. "Hmm..."
"It's true that there aren't any genius scorers like Kagami or you in Seihou, Kise, but they're of a different type. They're using martial arts as a support in both defense and offense. When they get in their third year, they can use them at a considerable level. Seihou isn't a team with geniuses, it's a team with experts." He said, looking over at Kasuga and Iwamaru, which only caused Kise to smirk and stare over at his favorite little blue haired girl.
"But if you're talking about experts, there's one in Seirin too."
"Out of bounds! Ball for Seirin!" The referee called with a blow of his whistle, the score 6 to 15, Seihou. Tomoki started to walk down the court and suddenly bumped into something, or rather someone.
"9 points, huh... Hmm... Hm?" Takara, of course being annoyed of bumped into, looked over at him and apologized, as much as she didn't want to.
"Sorry."
"You're...!" Tomoki started, suddenly realizing that she was still on the court and not on the bench after her stunt like he thought she would be.
"Wait, you're still playing in this match?! Are you kidding?! What are you?! Invisible?! I thought you were benched after your little stunt!" He shouted in a panic and Takara could only blink.
"I've been playing since the start." She said calmly and both Kagami and Hyuuga were stunned that he hadn't noticed her on the court, especially after he reared her earlier before the match even started. And her gymnastics stunt.
'Is this guy an idiot?!'
'He forgot her even though they played against either other in the past! And after he taunted her earlier?!'
"…Tch! Whatever! Just because you went to Teikou doesn't mean that you're going to beat me!" He told her with a smirk.
"Last year it seems that my senpais ended the first quarter 20 points ahead of your school! That's why I'm going to make it to 30 this year, you know!" He told her and to the others, it seemed as though he was trying to impress her more than anything else.
"So don't be too depressed when I beat you!"
"Understood." Takara said as he started to walk away, Tomoki blinking after her.
"I will do my best in order to not be depressed." He seemed confused by her words and she ignored him by jogging over to Izuki.
"Izuki-senpai." She started at his side, the second year dribbling the ball.
"...Hm?"
The game continued on and it was back to man-on-man defense, everyone at this point was either blocking or guarding the other.
"Seriously, they're completely stuck..." Kawahara said.
"It's too troublesome to pass the ball like that..." Fukuda replied with a frown. Izuki, who still had the ball, quickly looked over his shoulder and noticed that Takara was open so he took his chance.
"They're blocking the pass courses... Hm?!" The ball landed in Takara's hand and she quickly passed it over to Mitobe, shocking Iwamaru who was blocking him.
"What?!"
'A pass from the back of the defense?!' With the catch, Mitobe took the the shot for his team and scored, bringing them up to 8 points.
"What was that pass just now? It came back like a boomerang!"
"Who? Who knows?!"
"No matter how strong the fortress is for Seihou's defense, it seems they've never had to face passes form their inside walls." Kise explained, chuckling at the team's facial expressions.
"Shit... What the hell was that?!"
"Now, now. Just calm down." Kasuga said as he dribbled around Izuki and sped over toward the goal.
"Damn!"
'It's like he didn't use any power at all, but...!'
"Here, I go!" The blonde as he was about to shot the ball, but Kagami jumped up behind him and knocked the ball from his shocked fingers.
"Wooh! A block! So high!"
"Seirin seems suddenly full of life!" The Seirin team did spring to life and continued to score point after point thanks to Takara's quick passes and she hid behind the taller players. Hyuuga quickly got the ball from the little female and shot a three-pointer, the shot easily going in.
"Ooh! Three points!" People in the audience shouted with awe and the score board went off, the referee blowing his whistle.
"End of the first quarter!"
As the teams started to make their way off the court, Iwamaru, who grabbed Tomoki by the back of his jersey, dragged the first year over to Hyuuga.
"By the way, it seems like this guy was making fun of you again earlier. Sorry about that." He apologized with a sigh and Hyuuga chuckled nervously at the sudden arrival of the two.
"No... well... Honestly, yeah, it made us remember the trauma last year. But well, we're alright now." He said with a smile and he glanced over at the score, which was a tie, 19 to 19.
"Because we overcame it." He explained as he moved back over to his team, who were all staring down the other high schoolers, their eyes full of determination, the Seihou staring back with just as much ferocity. This battle had only just begun...
~ * 'The challenger isn't yielding a single step!' * ~ Fujimaki Tadatoshi Chapter 21.
End of 'Chapter Eight: A Little Blue Surprise'
Next... 'Chapter Nine: Believe In Us'
I just want to thank everyone who has reviewed, favorited and alerted this story since it has been published! You are all so fantastic and I appreciate all the support you have given me! It means so much! Once again I would love to thank all my reviewers! Thank you Pri-Chan 1410, kits-hold-their-tears, BladePhoenix41, Lady Syndra, hitomi65, Bommie, xXxOtAkU-444xXx, Jaz-147, gigi323, luckyschoolgirl, and MusixAkira948! Thank you all again for your words and comments!
* Also noted! I know some of you might think Takara's trick might be impossible, or insane haha, but I have a friend who is a gymnast and a basketball player and she was able to perform this for me by the park near my house. So do not fret my friends, it is possible! (If confused, please relate back to chapter one with Takara performing basic dance/gymnast warm ups!) I am a dancer of 17 years as well so most things I type for Takara relative to dance or gymastics will only be realistic things! But also do not forget that professional tumbler gymnasts can jump and flip multiple times almost 10 to 15 feet in the air with a running start! Fun facts of the day! Hope everyone enjoyed chapter eight! Have a wonderful night everyone! Please read and review!
Cheshire
Edited as of October 20 2015:
