~*Final Battle*~

Mira took her time getting ready as her music played loudly from her phone. Standing nearby was Akashi, making sure to check her over before agreeing to let her play this match. He didn't doubt that she had what it took to take on Alexander. He just worried about the price she would have to pay once it was all said and done. He recalled their recent match very well. If the girl had gotten physical with him and she'd just used him to unlock a new stage, then how exactly were things going to play out with Alexander?

"Are you sure you want to do this alone?" Akashi asked out loud. He watched as Mira turned to look at him, her eyes already narrowed in anticipation of the fight to come.

"Yes. I already gave you my word that if anything goes wrong you can step in." Mira clenched her hand into a fist, feeling a slight sting shoot up her arm and stop right in the elbow joint. "I'm tired of running. I'm tired of letting him do what he wants with me. More importantly, I'm tired of having the threat of him going after the others hanging over my head."

"If I may ask, what did you do to get on his bad side?" Akashi asked, truly curious as to why Alexander was hell bent on going after someone like Mira.

"I refused to give up the game he'd taught me to love." Mira said softly.

The sound of a door opening drew their attention towards the entrance. Dressed in basketball gear himself was Alexander. He glanced towards Akashi before grinning at Mira. His eyes were full of excitement, flashing dangerously as he made his way towards the two. The change in the air was palpable. Akashi could feel a murderous aura emitting from both in front and behind him. Neither one had any intention of backing down.

"Who knew you'd be the one to call me out? Here I was thinking I was going to get to play with you a little more." Alexander snickered. He dropped his bag near the empty bench, still holding Mira's eyes easily.

"I told you that I would be the one to end this. I won't let you keep the others, or me, under your thumb anymore." Mira hissed. She narrowed her eyes even more at the blond standing across from her.

"And what is your business here Akashi-san?" Alexander gave Akashi the coldest look he'd ever seen. He could hardly believe that he was feeling intimidated by the young man standing across from him.

"I am merely here as a spectator. I will make sure no one interferes with your match. I will only step in should I think one of you is in imminent danger." Akashi swore. His own spirit began to rise up as well, almost as if he was daring Alexander to challenge him.

"Very well. If that is your only role, then I have no qualms. Mira dear, let us finish what we started. And don't worry, should I break you again I will always be there to put you back together." Alexander smiled sweetly. Venom coating his tone as he stepped on to the court.

"The only one who's gonna break is you." Mira sneered, taking her spot on the court as well.

"Ready?" Akashi looked to the two as he made his way to the center of the court. The two just nodded, neither taking their eyes off the ball in his hands.

Akashi threw the ball up and quickly moved out of the way. Mira wasted no time in ducking in and hip checking Alexander hard. He was knocked off balance, forcing him to his knees as Mira grabbed the ball first. She rushed down the court, pushing herself as hard as she could. Already sensing Alexander behind and closing in fast, Mira came to a sudden stop and pushed off away from the boy as she took the first shot at the three-point line. Alexander jumped in order to block the shot, his arm coming down at the right angle to hit Mira in her face hard as he turned to go for the ball. The force of the hit was so great that it knocked her to the ground. She caught herself just as the swish of the net could be heard, signifying that she'd made the basket.

"Well, well. Seems you've improved a little. Imagine what you'd be like now if I hadn't had to injure you? You had so much potential. I can help you get it back. All you have to do is come home with me." Alexander pleaded. The edge in his voice dropped and his eyes softened greatly as he held his hand out to her. It was the first time in a long time Mira saw a flash of her old friend.

Mira let out a giggle that eventually turned into a full blown laugh. Alexander must've really thought she was a fool if he believed that she would take the bait. Going back to Alexander meant subjecting herself to him all over again. Sure, he may act like his old self if Mira complied….but she knew the real Alexander now. There was no way she would allow herself to be controlled. The girl pushed herself off the ground, dusting off the imaginary dirt on her shorts before looking to her former best friend. Even Akashi found himself smirking. He knew exactly what Mira had planned next as the girl got off the ground and headed to the top of the key where her tormentor was waiting. He checked the ball to the girl as the physical match began again.

Alexander made a drive at the basket, attempting to step on Mira's toes as he pushed her back off of him. She played tight man to man defense while dishing out shots of her own back. Once he was close enough Alexander took the ball up for a dunk. Slamming it down hard as Mira managed to step back in time so that she didn't hit the ground again. The red head retrieved the ball and headed back up top. She took a deep, calming, breath and let it out slowly. It was time to put her training to good use.

Mira tossed the ball to Alexander, who in turn tossed it back hard. The minute the ball touched her fingers the girl was gone. Alexander couldn't believe the speed she was displaying as the girl zipped past him. He quickly recovered and managed to stop her drive, forcing her to pull back. Mira utilized her dribbling skills to the fullest as she went between her legs, around her back, pulling out reversals, anything to shake Alexander. An opening finally presented herself as she chunked the ball hard at the backboard. Alexander turned to see where the rebound as Mira followed the path perfectly. She jumped into the air, caught the ball, and shot it once again. The ball arched beautifully through the air and sunk into the basket without touching the rim. But that wasn't the reason why Mira had the biggest smirk of her life on her face.

"I should actually be thanking you for what you did. You helped to draw out my full potential 'Xander'." Mira cooed, using his old nickname.

"You're ambidextrous?" It was the look of shock on Alexander's face that was currently giving Mira so much joy.

"If you hadn't injured me, I never would've learned to use this hand. It worked out quite nice actually." She twisted her left hand around in the air, admiring it and all the work it took be able to use it as seamlessly as the right.

"Heh. This just got more interesting." Alexander's eyes flashed in excitement.

A dark aura filled the air as the two stared each other down. Even Akashi could feel the pressure bearing down on him as the two got ready to go at it again. Now he knew why Mira had been so adamant on having this match. Akashi knew Alexander could be ruthless, but to take it to this level? He could only watch as the two went at each other mercilessly. If Mira didn't finish this here and now, then Alexander would never stop. He would continue to come at Mira. To do what it took to make her his once more. Because he wanted to have his creation by his side and keep her all to himself. Even if that meant breaking her in the process.

'Too bad things won't go his way this time.' Akashi grinned. Even without his Emperor Eye, he knew that Mira was going to turn the battle in her favor. It was only a matter of time.

_._._

Jason was breathing hard as he looked to the other bench. Mira hadn't been lying when she'd said that there were players who'd give them a run for their money. She'd called it out perfectly too. Malacai and Aomine were almost mirror images of each other. Both moved incredibly fast and were able use as many street moves as the other. Chance and Midorima were having just as tough a time with each other since both were outside experts. While Midorima had the range, Chance had the speed. If Midorima was able to shoot from anywhere on the court, then Chance could shoot incredibly fast from anywhere in the half court range. With neither one missing their shots. Chase wasn't nearly as flashy as his brother, but with his ability to sync up with the rhythm of the man he guarded, making it hard for Kise to use his copy ability. Chase's play was smooth, seamless, flowing effortlessly across the court. And since he could follow his opponent's rhythm perfectly, he could also disrupt it just long enough to shake his man off and allow him to make the shots from all around the key. As for Jason? He was having a battle of power underneath with Kagami. It was a bit of a shoving match between the two as they traded dunk for dunk, fighting for rebounds, and setting some hard screens in for their teammates.

It had been a flurry of fast paced plays. Both teams a bit impressed that they actually had some competition. With each passing second the plays grew faster, more aggressive, and a bit more shoving occurred. For never having played in a serious street match, the Americans were impressed with how well the Japanese were hanging in there. They could now see why Mira called them her friends. These boys didn't go down without a fight.

"Are you guys okay? You've been pushing yourselves hard for the past quarter and a half." Worry coated Kanika's tone as she looked over the bruised bodies sitting on the bench.

"If this is what it's like with only four, imagine how much stronger they'd be with West-chan in the mix." Takao said softly. Chills ranked his body as he looked to the Americans who didn't seem as beaten down as the others.

"Both teams are lacking a true leader. I can't see us tipping the scales in our favor anytime soon." Momoi bit her nail hard. She hated to admit that their opponents were so good. She'd known that there were strong players that could hold a candle to the Generation of Miracles since the match against the Jabberwocks. But she knew that these guys were on a whole other level. She could only imagine what they'd look like if each team was complete with their missing two members. What kind of match up would it be then?

"I wish I could join in this match as well. Maybe I could help make a difference…" Kuroko looked to his own hand before clenching it into a fist. He hated sitting on the sidelines, unable to help those fighting so hard for the fate of a friend.

On the other side….

Jason wiped his face down, ignoring the others as he looked up towards the observation deck again. He'd lost count with how many times he'd glanced towards the windows. And he knew the others had noticed his distracted play. It's one of the reasons Kagami had managed to score against him so many times. But no matter how hard Jason tried to concentrate, he couldn't help but be worried about Mira. Had her match with Alexander already started? How was she doing? Was Akashi just standing by idly as he'd promised? Had things taken a turn for the worst? He hated not knowing. It took all he had to not rush out of there and go to her side.

"Man, what is wrong with you today?" Malacai finally snapped. He'd caught Jason staring up at the windows again.

"We get it. You want to go to Mira's side." Chase pushed his bangs back out of his face, flinging sweat off his face in the process.

"We all miss her. But we have to win here first so that we can take her home." Chance squirted some water into his mouth before turning towards the others. "A few more quarters. That's all we'll have to wait. Ignore your feelings for now."

"Sorry guys. I can't. Not this time…." Jason growled as he took off. Last time Jason had ignored his gut feeling and left Mira alone, she'd disappeared from his sight. He wouldn't let that happen again.

The others all wondered what had caused the sudden change in the boy's mood. Kise's eyes widened as it hit him. Mira had said it herself. Jason's loyalty lied with her. If he was rushing off, it had something to do with the girl. Kise took off after the tall boy, prompting the rest of them to take chase. Jason darted down the hallway and up the stairs as fast as he could. By the time he'd reached the viewing area for the court he was looking for his lungs were burning and he was gasping for air. But he could hardly prepare himself for what he saw next. The others soon caught up to the boy, wondering why he was standing stock still as he looked down into the court below. They all soon understood his reaction as they couldn't believe what was going on down below.

Mira took a hard elbow to her face as she quickly recovered and drove her shoulder into Alexander's gut. The two were fighting more than playing basketball. Both of their eyes were narrowed as they ignored the blows they were dealt and kept on going with the game. Neither one was aware of anything around them at the moment. Just playing on instinct as they pushed themselves harder and harder. Each determined to be the winner of their bout. None of them could believe what was going on down below as the two bodies moved around the court at incredible speeds. The game only slowing down when they had to reset at the top of the key and start all over again.

"What is going on? You know something don't you?" Kise whispered. He turned towards Jason who was watching with pained eyes like all of them. He slowly nodded, never taking his eyes off the court below. (A/N: All are speaking Japanese here.)

"Jason? What are those two doing? They're gonna seriously injure each other!" Chase cried out. He knew that Mira and Alexander liked rough play, but this was something else entirely.

"This is insane. We have to stop them!" Chance echoed his brother's cries. The two wondering why Jason wasn't moving as Malacai walked over and grabbed Jason by his collar.

"Why are you just standing here?!" Malacai snarled. The fury was clear as day in his eyes. All of them knew how protective Jason was of Mira. So why was he allowing this to happen?

"Mira has to do this!" Jason finally spoke up, knocking Malacai's hand away. "She's fighting for her freedom and ours!"

"What exactly is going on?" Kagami hollered. Jason turned back to the glass, figuring it was time to come clean.

"You guys want to really know why Mira left us?" Jason glanced towards his friends as confusion crossed all of their faces. "It's because of Alexander. When he got ready to move he wanted Mira to move with him. When she said no, he told her not to play basketball with anyone but him. When she defied him again, Alexander snapped. They had a match similar to the one we're watching now. And it ended with Mira taking severe damage to her right elbow."

"Why didn't she say anything?" Malacai's eyes were wide with shock. He turned to watch the violent match below as Mira continued to battle against Alexander.

"Alexander blackmailed her. He told Mira we'd be next on his hit list if she said anything to us. Alexander knew we'd believe him when he said Mira jumped ship after he slapped a gag order on her. It was all to get back at her. He wants to break Mira so that she can't defy him anymore. He went as far as to chase her over here just to make sure that it happened." Jason curled his hands into fists, barely fighting the urge to hit the glass.

"If this goes on those two are going to seriously hurt each other." Aomine noted. He looked to Kanika who had her mouth covered in horror. He wrapped an arm around the scared girl before looking back to the court himself.

"We can't interfere." Midorima noted. He motioned to Akashi on standby below. Watching with passive eyes as the match continued. "If any of us try to go down there, Akashi will stop us."

"Akashi must be there to maintain order. He is the only one capable of standing up to those two in that state." Kuroko had to fight the urge to shake in fear. Even from where he stood he could feel the dangerous bloodlust emanating from below.

"This is something Mira has to do." Kise said softly. He placed a hand on the glass, watching with solemn eyes. Determined not to look away despite how much it was eating him alive.

All of them (except the Americans) looked at him as if he was crazy. But he knew Mira's thoughts better than any of them there. Well, almost anyone. Jason gave the boy a firm nod of understanding. For once the two agreed on something. They knew that this was something Mira had to do on her own. No matter how much the two of them wanted to rush to her aid and put a stop to the madness.

"Don't worry. Mira won't lose. She made sure to come prepared this time." Jason said smugly.

The others shared a look before turning back to the match. All of them wondered what Jason's cryptic words meant. The punk looked to Akashi as he recalled the vigorous training session the two underwent a few days ago. Even the stoic red head on the sidelines below didn't seem worried. In fact, it seemed as if he was waiting for some to happen. That could only mean one thing. And Jason was glad he'd abandoned his own game witness it as his blood began to rush.

Those up top winced as they watched Mira hit the ground hard and roll a few feet. The girl picked herself up slowly, wiping the blood off of her mouth as she made her way back to her feet. Her violet eyes now had a small yellow ring around the irises. The conditions had been met. Mira had transformed. Alexander didn't even have time to throw a taunt at the girl as the game picked up again. Mira moved lightning fast as she ducked in and hit him hard. Even Alexander had been surprised by the force behind the hit. Thing was…the hits kept coming. Mira didn't try to evade him any longer, she didn't run away, and she had no intention of losing.

"What is she?" Malacai whispered. None of them had ever seen Mira play so violently before.

"No way. It's like the Zone, but darker." Aomine visibly got goosebumps watching the match below. All of them winced when they saw Mira deliver a hard elbow to Alexander's jaw before pushing off to the sideways jumpshot and scoring.

"We knew Alexander was capable of something like this. But Mira?" Chase could hardly believe he was watching his old friend below.

"It would explain why she was always able to keep Alexander in check. Mira was always the true alpha. Not Alexander." Chance gripped his brother's hand hard. Both a bit scared by what they were watching.

"I didn't know Mira was capable of something like this." Kagami placed a hand on the glass. If he wasn't watching it first hand, he'd never believe that it was Mira down there.

They all knew Mira could be aggressive. She had a temper that could easily rival Kagami's, but when the girl was truly pissed she wasn't one to trifle with. All the Americans knew this fact well. They'd seen her get into a knock down drag out brawls before. They'd all sensed something at one point or another whenever Mira and Alexander had gotten into shouting matches. They'd always feared what it would look like when things boiled over. Now they were getting to see the carnage with their own eyes.

Mira delivered blow after blow, never slowing down, never showing any kind of emotion, never intending on letting up till the match was hers. It took all Alexander had just to keep up with the girl. He knew it wouldn't be long before a gap in the score widened. All they had left were three more points till a victor was decided. Correction. Two. Mira had just knocked Alexander on his ass and pulled off a trick shot.

"This isn't possible…..You can't be stronger than me. I refuse to let you win!" Alexander shouted as he grabbed his head, the madness finally overtaking him.

The boy scrambled to his feet and rushed towards Mira. Before Akashi could step in, he watched as Alexander grabbed a handful of Mira's hair while moving towards her front. He brought his knee up as he yanked her head down. Mira's face connected hard with Alexander's knee. Her body crumpled to the floor in a heap. A sick laugh left Alexander's mouth as those up top rushed downstairs. Praying they'd make it in time to save Mira from whatever else the blond had planned.

"Didn't I tell you? You are trash without me. You need me. You belong to me. Maybe now you've finally learned your lesson." Alexander sneered as he made his way towards the discarded ball.

The others made it down into the gym just as Alexander picked up the ball. Before any of them could rush to Mira's side, Akashi blocked their path. He motioned for them to be silent before looking back to where Mira should have been lying. To the surprise of the others, she was on her feet. Her eyes were locked on to Alexander as he slowly dribbled towards the basket. Mira slowly jogged towards him, picking up speed as she did so. Alexander took a few short steps towards the basket, intending on dunking the ball hard and ending things. But just as he'd done to Mira, she would now do to him. The girl timed it just right as she jumped and blocked the ball. Mira shoved the ball back down hard, hitting Alexander in the face. The boy lost his balance and hit the ground as he landed on his shoulder at an awkward angle. A cry of pain escaped from the boy's lips as Mira retrieved the ball. Soon there was nothing but the screams of agony coming from Alexander who writhed on the ground. He held his useless shoulder that was now out of socket as he lied there on the ground. When he could no longer scream the boy shifted his wide eyes towards Mira. He remembered what he'd done to her when she'd been in his position. His eyes widened in fear as he watched and waited to see what Mira would do to him. If she'd already taken it to this extent, who was to stop her from going even further? Luckily for him, Mira didn't have a flair for sadism.

"Didn't I tell you? I'm no longer yours. I'm free. You can no longer control me." Mira smirked. She turned and took up her shooting stance before ending things. She shot the ball, arching it through the air as it slowly rose and fell. With that final basket, Mira had sealed her freedom.

"Mira!" Kise was the first to break the silence.

Cheers rang out as the boys rushed forward to greet the victor. Momoi and Kanika held each other tightly, tears streaming down their faces as they couldn't believe how hard Mira had fought for this victory. Mira turned to see the boys all running towards her. Even her old teammates. She gave them all a small smile before her world turned black. Kise pushed forward hard, sliding in at just the right moment to catch Mira's body. Panic filled his body as he cradled the girl in his arms. He wiped away some of the blood that had leaked out of her nose and mouth. Takao was already on the phone calling for an ambulance for the two. As much as the Americans wanted to rush to Mira's aid, someone had to tend to the still conscious Alexander. That…and they had some questions that they were going to make sure they got answers to.

The match you've all been waiting for! I hope you guys liked it. I struggled with how exactly to portray this match up and I figured a darker version of Zone, almost like a demon mode if you will, would be the best explanation. A state where your senses and reflexes are heightned, but you throw all sportsmanship out the window as you all saw.

As you can see the end is drawing near for this story, but there will be a sequel. I've already got a few ideas in my head and will begin churning out drafts before long. So I'm going to do like I did with my Ninja Love story (if anyone of you have read it). I'm going to open my story up to anyone who would like me to use their OC and pair them with one of the boys who hasn't already been taken. Fair warning right now, if anyone chooses Himuro I've already got an idea for him. He can still be paired with an OC, but it'll take a little bit with him. So the relationship building will be more of a sideline type thing from the main story between Kise and Mira and the Winter Cup. If you all are interested just send me the info of your OC to my inbox with a detailed description and we'll go from there.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as I did when I wrote it. Can't wait to hear from you all!