Author's Note!

Reviews and Criticism is highly appreciated.

Warning: May have a little bit of OOC but nevertheless, it is how I envisioned it.

*Italics are thoughts of the characters. * *Bold letters are in English*

Now, ONNNNN TO THE STORYYYY~

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, events portrayed in this story is used fictitiously or products of the author's imaginations.

The Strategist Empress. Copyright © 2016 by Cordelia Michaelis. All rights reserved.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Kuroko No Basket. I only own the Plot and the OC.

Chapter 24

It wasn't long before our game with Kaijo will soon begin. Chiaki acted as the head manager, looking over at our players as my team did their warm ups while I was currently observing Kaijo's team from the audience. As I decide to walk back to the locker rooms, my eyes caught sight of a tall purple head and a dark haired male beside him, staring at the court and talking. My eyes changed to their violet hues and stood beside Himuro without him knowing and the purple head noticed me instead.

"Ara~ Yuki-chin~ what are you doing here?" Murasakibara drawled lazily as he turned his head towards me and Himuro did the same.

"Yuki…" the dark haired male said and I glanced at them.

"I'm just here observing them. I won't play against Ryo-kun in this match." My eyes then immediately focused again on the court just in time for the two aces to give a declaration of war between the two. "This match has a little history between the two schools. One that started from Seirin winning the practice match against Kaijo." I said.

The warm ups finished and it was time for me to go back to the bench where my team is. I turned my head to my right and looked at the two. "I'll be going then. See you whenever I see you, Mura-kun… Himuro…" I raised my hand as if I was going to wave and turned my back towards them. I walked back to the court and shrugged my jacket on before shoving my hands in the pockets of the jacket. I deeply sighed before quietly emerging out of the entrance doors and looked at the team on the court, smirking at my cousin as his aura became determined and fired up. They've been determined to win this as an official match between Kaijo and Seirin. I chuckled at the interaction and said, "Alright. They got this match without me going in the court."

Grabbing my glasses from my bag and I put them on as the game started. I sat down on the bench and crossed my legs and took out my clipboard and pen, glancing now and then at the data and at the game.

"Let's have a good game." Hyuga said as he offered his hand in a hand shake to Kasamatsu.

"Let's do." Kasamatsu replied and Hyuga tightened his grip on the other's hand. Huh? Previously, I had the impression that he was still too young to be a captain. The Kaijo captain looks at Hyuga with calculating eyes as he thought. I guess winning all the way up here means something. He smirked at the four eyed captain. "Good. That's how it should be! Now I can get my revenge without holding back!"

Meanwhile, Izuki and Kiyoshi was walking towards their positions when Kiyoshi noticed how stiff Izuki is. "What's wrong, Izuki?" The brunette asked, "You're looking a bit stiff."

Izuki looked up at Kiyoshi and reassured the tall guy. "Oh, I'm fine. If that's so, I'm just a bit nervous." He focused his gaze forward and continued to reassure Kiyoshi. "If anything, I'm excited just like what Kuroko said." The two teams met at the center and positioned themselves as the tip off was about to start when I started to remember the first time the miracles had formed.

-Flashback-

Third POV

The first year female bluenette was staring on the top floor behind the players from the third string gym. Yuki was quietly observing them from above with the head coach as the Emperor had taken up the responsibility of calling out the names of those who will play for their next game's starting line-up. "#4 Akashi Seijuro. #6 Aomine Daiki. #7 Midorima Shintaro. #5 Atsushi Murasakibara. And the fifth…" The red head paused and looked at the blonde model. "#8 Kise Ryouta."

Once the blonde male heard his name and number, he clenched his fist and grinned at being picked. Kuroko just glanced at the male and that prompted Yuki to take a long look at the blonde with disinterest in her eyes.

"All right! I'm finally on the starting line-up!" Kise said before he was interrupted by Midorima's harsh words. "What do you mean, finally? You could say it is still too early." The green haired male said as he placed his hand on his hip while glaring at the blonde. The navy haired teen added, "Don't drag us down, Kise."

The blonde reassured them strongly, "It's totally fine! This is thanks to the earnest coaching from Kuroko-cchi!" He looked smartly at Kuroko with sparkles floating in the background.

The male Bluenette retorted with a blank face, "I haven't really taught you any basketball…" Before Kise can say anything more, two sets of footsteps can be heard echoing in the gym where the five stayed at. The red head was accompanied by another bluenette yet this time, a female. Kise's eyes darted to the new addition to the group with questions and gold eyes met icy blue ones that reminded him of a certain red head emperor. The female bluenette coldly stared at the blonde before her gaze turned to the other members and nodded.

"Yamamura Yuki. Head Manager. Pleasure to meet you, Kise." She said in her usual cold voice and her eyes darted to the other male who resembled so much like her. "Tetsu, it's been a while." The said male nodded with his usual blank face and replied, "It has been a while, Yuki-chan. Hisashiburi." The female only nodded and turned to the blonde who was rambling on about leaving the game to him.

The girl merely smirked at the thought and violet eyes replaced her icy blue ones before she cut him off. "Don't get too far ahead of yourself, Kise." She crossed her arms as she calculated their data and was satisfied with the Emperor's decisions. She then turns her head to the red head first year captain and nodded. "I'll leave the rest to you… Captain Seijuro." The red head simply glared at the bluenette but the female didn't back down from his gaze which surprised the blonde since no once disobeys the orders of the captain. The female bluenette then walked away from the colorful bunch with a small smile in her face and an evil glint in her eyes as she began to make them dance on her palm during the game.

-Flash back over-

Kise and Kuroko talked for a minute or two about their differences and how that inspired Kuroko to do his best to support them all as the Phantom sixth man. The two males now sported a grin in their faces after their interaction. It was Seirin's ball when Kiyoshi got the tip off and Hyuga caught it, effectively passing it to Izuki who dribbled it towards the opponent's basket. I simply watched as my head replayed the conversation that I overheard before going to the court.

"Today's game will probably turn out completely different from any game we've had till now." Riko said as she crossed her arms and looked at the team seriously. "Bluntly put, we'll take the early advantage, then run with it. More like, that's what we need to do to win." She paused and looked at all of them. "Kise-kun's Perfect Copy… That is just way too powerful… To be honest, it's better to think that it is virtually impossible for us to stop it now. As long as it has a time limit, he'll most likely use it in the final minutes. Before that happens, whatever the cost, we have to be so far ahead that they can't come back."

I leaned against the wall outside the locker room and scoffed quietly. "That's a good strategy but… Ryo-kun's Perfect Copy only applies to the Generation of Miracles' unstoppable shots… I had that dark feeling that if he had copied me… then it would be his own end in his basketball career." I softly said before I thought. This is why, I did not give Ryo-kun the chance to see me play in an official match, the reason why I purposely sat out each games that the Emperor assigned me in.

I then shifted off the wall and walked off towards the stands to observe the two teams before the game started.

I closed my eyes and tilted my head to the side before muttering loudly, "Ryo-kun's Perfect Copy only applies to those whom he had played against. The Generation of Miracles and then his opponents. There are two weak points in Ryo-kun's." I raised my pointer finger up and side-glanced at Riko who was intently listening while watching the game. "One, Ryo-kun's five minute time limit… and the second… He hasn't had the chance to copy me."

The team looked at me with surprise, minus the Orangette beside me who simply smiled. Riko then grabbed my shoulders and shook me a bit. "So why won't you play against Kise-kun, Yuki-chan?!" I shook off her hands before frowning and made her and the team look away.

"Because it will be the end for Ryo-kun's basketball career if he ever had copied me. I've seen it in one of the potentials if he acquired my skills, then it would badly damage his body… especially his dominant arm." I said while looking at the blonde male who shot the ball from their side of the court as Kuroko did his two signature moves. "I know I said that I won't play against Ryo-kun in this but if we are ever in a pinch, I'll substitute Tetsu."

I already knew that Ryo-kun's going to start off his Perfect Copy as soon as we scored using Tetsu's moves. I thought and cracked my wrists a bit before placing my elbow on my knee and placed my chin on my palm. "Eh? He started with the Perfect Copy…Saa~ what will you do Seirin…" I intently focused my gaze on the court as the game continued on.

The game was intense but there was no need for me to interfere them. To sum it up, Kise had combined the Miracle's moves and fooled Seirin for a bit before Kuroko and I looked at each other and he nodded. Looking at the team who was watching Riko who explained that we needed Kagami to enter the zone but it was too early. I simply smirked and stared at the blonde male who was still in his Perfect Copy mode and said, "Ara, I think I need to see more of Ryo-kun's ability. There's something I'd like to confirm in this game."

My eyes slightly turned a darker shade of icy blue with a small light ring at the center, similar to the Emperor Eye and quickly analyzed the data that was presented before me. Chiaki was concerned with my eyes since it usually turns to a light violet colour but kept it to herself and will ask the bluenette female after the games. Yuki, why does your eyes changed to a different colour and not the usual violet ones? The orangette thought worriedly and took note of what was happening in the court.

My eyes widen and clicked my teeth in annoyance. "Ryo-kun figured how to stop the Phantom Shot." I wrote it down on the clipboard while staring at the shocked members and looked at my cousin who was now sporting a determined look before I smirked. I wonder what combinations Ryo-kun's going to use during his time limit.

Somewhere outside the venue, Momoi and Aomine where in a coffee shop as they spent the time doing nothing. Aomine grabbed his coffee before looking up and glanced at the clock, noting the time. By that exact moment, Kise was copying Aomine's free formed shots against Kagami. The blonde also did Akashi's moves as Kuroko tried to block him and scored. He used the Miracle's moves against Seirin and kept scoring, leaving Seirin behind.

"Kise's unstoppable." A spectator commented.

"Unrivaled defense and offense." Another answered.

Icy blue eyes simply glanced at the commentators as she thought. No. Ryo-kun's not unstoppable. This is only the first step in destroying Kaijo officially but that 13 lead gap is a problem to be reckoned with.

Kagami panted as he observed the game. It's like the Generation of Miracles at once. This sucks. I can't get a handle on this! He angrily thought. And it's three minutes in? Considering how long Perfect Copy lasts, I gotta deal with this for at least two more minutes?

Kise blew a small breath before he straightened up. "Man, this is rough." He placed his hands on his hip as he muttered, "For now, I'll take a break-ssu. Copying those guys is pretty rough after all…" He then looks up and Kuroko's eyes held shock in them. "I can't really collapse so soon into the game. We still got most of the game to play, so I gotta save the fun part for later…" The light ring in his eyes slowly faded as he continued to stare at the opposing team. "But well, that served its purpose plenty. We have the initiative now." He pointed to them in a challenging way.

Seirin's players grit their teeth in obvious irritation and shock. Hyuga glared at the blond before muttering, "This is the worst!"

On the bleachers above, Murasakibara commented with his usual lazy drawl, "Oh man, they really got it handed to them from the start. But you know…"

Himuro glanced at the tall purple head and hummed in response, "Hm?"

"It's true Kise-chin's Perfect Copy is amazing." Murasakibara continued, "But even if he uses it at the end, it's down to two minutes. And honestly, it'll happen sooner or later, right?"

Himuro replied, "No, it's not that simple." They both glanced at each other and the dark haired teen added, "Any given game has momentum. Their surprise tactic worked and its effects will linger. That's what Kaijo was truly after, I believe."

Hyuga shot a three but missed as he was too tense and angry at the game. Damn, just when every second counts in closing the gap… Kaijo got the rebound and they run to Seirin's side to defend the basket from Kaijo.

Himuro then glanced at the blue haired female who was calmly observing the game from the bench and said, "Besides, I believe Kaijo still hasn't seen Yuki's full potential." He glanced at his partner and shivered as he thought of the memory when they had their last basketball game after the bluenette disappeared from America. "She's truly a terrifying athlete."

Murasakibara couldn't imagine that the female was scary in court since he had only witnessed a few practice matches when Kise wasn't in the club yet. Given that she has the same aura as Akashi, it was not that impressive and the purple head could only give his partner a hum as a response.

After the consecutive missed shots, I decided to stop watching such play and tapped Chiaki's shoulder and walked away from the team. The team knew what I was feeling and didn't try to stop me from going. I flipped my phone and texted the purple head on the audience as I was slowly walking to them. Leaving the court was a good idea to calm myself and apparently save the irrational thoughts from leaking out.

To: Mura-kun~

From: Yuki-chin

Subject: - none-

Mura-kun, I'm coming there. I'll be there shortly to talk.

- end -

I arrived at their spot and crossed my arms while my bangs covered my eyes. Himuro was suspicious of what I was hiding as I offered Murasakibara some of the snacks I got. I sighed knowing the two males were curious as to why I was there and revealed the dark irises I sported when the game had intensified. Himuro sucked a deep breath as his visible eye widened and he placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Calm yourself, Yuki." He said as his grip tightened and I glanced at his hand before shrugging it off.

"I am calm." I replied in a monotonous tone before looking the two in the eyes. "It seems like I won't be needed in this game but I can't help what I am feeling. Seirin wasn't expecting Kaijo to do a surprise attack but obviously I had a feeling that they will do this tactic. The fact that I hate getting my plans ruined is one of the reasons why this side showed up."

Murasakibara had to properly look at the shorter girl and saw that my eyes weren't the shade that he knew of. Dark blue irises stared back at him, anger and annoyance blazed in my eyes before I diverted my gaze to the game. "It is a good thing that I didn't play during middle school." I smirked and glanced at Himuro. "Isn't it, Himuro-kun?"

The dark haired male visibly swallowed as he sweat dropped from the memory that Seirin's manager gave him when they were both in America and nodded. "Ah, I feared that much, Yuki."

I simply gave him a small smile before explaining it to the confused purple head. "Remember when I purposely sat out each game that Seijuro placed me in, Mura-kun? There was a motive behind that." She looked at her ex-teammate and gave him a chuckle. "It was because I fear for Ryo-kun's basketball career if he had copied me. He will only suffer if he did and that's why, I didn't add to his talents."

"Also, I hate the way Seirin is right now." She added with a glare at the said team. "They got too reckless and eager to close the gap Kaijo had placed but… they fell prey to that and now they are causing so much trouble and mistakes here and there."

Himuro gravely said, "At this rate, their attacks will continue to go nowhere."

I briefly glanced at Riko and chuckled, my eyes slowly change back to their original colour, making the two Yosen players look at me. "I think it's about time the momentum changes, don't you agree?" The two just kept quiet as Seirin did their member changes and I smirked at who it will be. "Ah, Furi-kun. He'll be a good pace changer…"

The brunette coach squinted her eyes and said, "Change members. Furihata-kun. You're up." Koganei heard Riko and he glanced at her while the said male looked at his coach before nervously pointing to himself. "EH?!" The ball went out of bounds and a whistle blew, indicating a member change. "Izuki-kun!" Riko yelled at the Point Guard while placing her hand on her hip as the member change happened. Furihata shook nervously as he stepped on the boundary of the court. The brunette took deep breaths and his mind was all over the place. Calm down… Calm down… Calm down… You've been wishing for this for a long time… That day's finally arrived. I'll be okay…

Furihata stepped out to the court and the intensity of the court got to him and made him more nervous than before. Furihata stiffly walked in the court as he changed with Izuki and he ignored every single one of them as he got in his position for the first time. The team sweat dropped at the situation but I smirked at them and chuckled at how Kasamatsu looked down on the new comer.

"What the… They sent a tensed-up first year?" Kasamatsu glared at the first year and Furihata kept on shivering like a Chihuahua. This is impossible! He's scary! Furihata thought.

So she sends out a point guard at this phase in the game... Kaijo's coach, Takeuchi thought before glancing at the other bench. What kind of play will he bring?

Hyuga passed the ball to Furihata and the first year caught it, still tense as he dribbled slowly to the opposing team but slipped and the ball left his hand. Calm down! Hyuga thought, his jaw dropped and Kagami looked at his fellow first year with obvious shock and worry. Furihata tried to get a grip on the ball but it went to the hands of Kasamatsu who thanked the first year but Kuroko stole the pass as Kasamatsu tried to dribble it. Damn, the invisible boy! Kaijo's captain thought.

"Sorry, please hold on a moment. It seems he's still nervous." Kuroko said but Kasamatsu glared at the bluenette. A tick mark appeared on Kasamatsu's face and he retorted, "Huh? Like I care!"

Furihata caught the ball and Kuroko called out to the brunette. "Furihata-kun!" The said male looked at him before Kuroko continued, "It's all right. During my debut game, I tripped and got a nosebleed. Yuki-chan had to stop the bleeding and subbed me until I can go again."

Furihata calmed down and smiled a bit before mumbling, "Kuroko… Seriously?"

Kuroko looked at him with his usual blank face and bluntly said, "I'm serious." Kuroko's aura then became depressed as the two looked at each other. Furihata's two best friend was worried about him and questioned Riko's motives but it was Izuki who replied, "That's what's so good about him, isn't it?" The point guard glanced at Riko who smiled at him and he added, "Being cowardly isn't a fault. There are things you can do because you're a coward."

Furihata was looking back and forth at the court and was blocked by Kasamatsu. He was precautious of the game and Kagami called out to him, making the brunette flinch and pass to the red head. As soon as the red head had the ball, Kise blocked him and the spectators expected a one-on-one match. I raised my eyebrow at the two before deeply sighing and crossed my arms. Furi-kun's presence in the court greatly helps the players calm down and think things through. With this change of pace, Seirin will greatly change their tactics.

I smirked at the game and faced backwards while leaning against the railing. "Kaga-kun had awaken. I can see the result of my work." I then stepped out of the auditorium, leaving the two Yosen players to watch the game without me interrupting them and headed towards the two Touou students who was currently passing time at a coffee shop.

Aomine pondered before asking his childhood friend, "Hey, Satsuki…" The pinkette turned to look at him and question was in her pink eyes. "Do you believe in destiny?"

The pinkette looked at him weirdly, like there was something wrong with the navy haired teen and placed her palm on his forehead to check if he has a fever. "What? What are you talking about?" She worriedly asked and the male retorted, "I don't have a fever, idiot."

"I know it's not like me to ask this though." Aomine said as he relaxed against the seat, closing his eyes. "Lately, I can't help but wonder…whether the six Generation of Miracles and Tetsu all gathering in the same era was sheer coincidence." Momoi only stared at the male as he continued, "I don't know if there's any meaning. But I've got this vague feeling too. How we were on the same team, and how we became rivals."

Momoi blinked at his words, listening carefully at his words. "How we all gathered for this tournament and if there's something called destiny out there…" Aomine side glanced as he kept pondering. "The fact that he showed up in front of us…"

"One who was the same type as the Generation of Miracles but didn't become part of it? You are quite right for an Aho, Daiki."

Both of them turned their heads to the newcomer who stood at the side, eavesdropping on their conversation. "Yuki-chan/ Yuki?" Both said at the same time. I got a chair and turned it towards them, sat down, crossing my legs and arms before resting my back on the seat. "The last to awake with the same talents as us… Kagami Taiga… The Miracle outside the Miracles. The one who wasn't raised with the Original Five…" I sighed and he added, "… and the true light that met the shadow of destiny."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as I played with my mini notebook and said, "Neither of the two will give up on their one-on-one… But Kaga-kun and Tetsu will lead Seirin to victory."

The two simply looked at me as I said those words and I lazily gave them a look before sighing, "Sooner or later, I will be revealing a secret that I have kept for far too long from you." My eyes steeled with determination and said, "Please come to the game between Seirin and Rakuzan. It will be the perfect time to show you… what I can truly do with my full potential…" And I left them to wonder what I can do in the court as they haven't seen my 100% in a single game.

A/N:

I came with an update! It has been so long and I really apologize for the delay. I have been pondering over this Chapter whether it is good enough or not. I'm so sorry for the long inactivity and the slowest update. TT^TT I got a lot of things going on and I am juggling my time between school works (that includes projects, researches, exams, quizzes, reports and etc.) and in thinking of what to write next.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'll probably be finished with their first year lives and onto the future. Leave a review~ No need to be shy~ :3

~Cordelia Michaelis