Manga: Kuroko no Basuke
Creator: Fujimaki Tadatoshi
Author: Cheshire
Chapter Twenty-Four: A Little Friend
~ * 'Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.' * ~ Albert Camus
The next day had been a Saturday and the Seirin team were now able to use the gym for their practices, thanks to Riko's conversation with the Head. Summer break was still playing on and with a heavy yawn, Kuroko Takara pulled herself up from her living room couch while rubbing the sleepiness out of her eyes.
"Hmm... " Blinking, she glanced down and noticed that Naoki was still asleep in the makeshift bed the two made the night before, his pink hair falling out of it's ponytail as he snuggled more into his pillow. Doing her best not to wake him, she crawled over the opposite side of the couch and moved up the stairs to her bathroom, knowing Naoki would use the one downstairs when he woke. With another yawn, Takara clicked on her bathroom light and looked in the mirror before turning on the water in the sink to wash her face. Once she felt more awake, she wiped her face with a towel and left the bathroom to change. Inside her bedroom, she started to search through her doors, hearing a yawn come from her door way.
"Good morning." She greeted Naoki as she pulled out some shorts and a shirt, Naoki yawning again before stretching his arms.
"Good morning..." He mumbled, moving over to her bed and collapsing on it. "Why are you up so early, Taka...?" He asked as he moved one of the pillows under his head, watching the blue haired girl move around the room.
"Seirin has practice this morning." She said and he nodded, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Mind if I tag along then?" He questioned and Takara turned around to face him with an arched eyebrow.
"Oh come on, Taka! I'll be good! I promise!" He started, sitting on the bed and grinning at her.
"Please? I want to see your school!" With a slight glare, the blue haired girl sighed and nodded, Naoki cheering and jumping off the bed to twirl the smaller female around the room.
"Ah, thank you, Taka!" After rolling her eyes, Takara returned his hug and gently ushered him out of the room so she could change, which he did after a few winks and side remarks.
When the two were dressed and had a nice breakfast, they left the house and started to make their way to Seirin High.
"So how do you like Seirin, Taka?" Naoki decided to ask, tightening his jacket around his shoulders.
"It is a good school, I enjoy it." She answered, looking up at the floating clouds above their heads.
"Everyone is kind and I get along with them, that's what I like best." With a smile, Naoki wrapped his arm around Takara's shoulders and leaned his head a top of hers, the blue haired girl blinking at their new position.
"Naoki?" She started and he chuckled, looking forward as they walked.
"You know... I miss this." He told her, Takara looking up to see his blue eyes locking with her own.
"...I miss this too." She said with a soft sigh and Naoki felt his cheeks turn pink as she moved farther away from him too.
"I miss when everything was easy and we were all friends. When basketball wasn't a competition between us all like it is now..." She answered and Naoki groaned, understanding now that she meant their friendship and not what he did...
"Damn it, Taka..." He grumbled, slowly moving to catch up with her.
"They miss you too, you know." He told her, Takara not believing him.
"I mean it. Come on, Taka... Look at me." He told her sternly, grabbing onto her shoulders to turn her around.
"Look at me." Finally, she allowed her eyes to lock with his and he continued.
"They might not show it, or say it. But they do miss you." She didn't respond at first but then softly sighed and broke their locked gaze.
"If they do miss me like you say then why do they only contact me because Sei told them too? Or to torment me? Or to..." She started, her hand quickly moving to her jaw which Naoki immediately noticed, his eyes widening.
"Takara..." Moving away from his hold, the blue haired girl started to walk away again, faster than before.
"Takara!" The pink haired male growled under his breath and sped after the smaller female, tightly but gently gripping onto her upper arm to keep her still.
"Takara!" He started in surprise when she almost tugged out of his hold, having to grab onto her other arm also.
"Takara... Does it still hurt...?" He wondered and her eyes shot open, her expression answering Naoki's question...
"Taka... Why didn't you say anything?"
"...It's not important." She answered and his eyes widened, his voice almost livid at her.
"Not important? Taka you had to have three, THREE surgeries to fix your jaw after the accident! And Daiki rough houses you during your game and you're obviously in pain now and you say NOTHING?" He demanded, Takara slightly wincing at his harshness. "...Does your team even know?" He asked and when her eyes shot to his face, he knew.
"They don't do they? Not even Kagami?"
"...No, not even Kagami..." She started, softly sighing.
"But I wouldn't be surprised if he had already figured it out himself." Naoki decided to finally let go of her arms and sighed heavily, turning his back to her and run his hand through his hair.
"Taka, you make it hard to not worry about you when you act like this... Why do you keep this to yourself? God, does Kise even know? Or Midorima?" Sadly, silence was once again met.
"Damn it, Takara!" He snapped and she turned away. She knew he was right, but this was her burden... Not anyone else's.
"Naoki... Please, stop." Takara said softly, bringing the pink haired male out of his thoughts to turn to her.
"Please... I can't..." The blue haired girl couldn't even finish for tears had already started to fall from her cheeks, shocking Naoki.
"Taka..." Groaning, and knowing this was his fault for upsetting her, he quickly pulled her into his arms and rested his chin on her head; feeling her arms circle around his back.
"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to take my anger out on you." He apologized, gently rubbing the back of her head.
"I worry about you and I always will. How can you not see that?" He asked, a sniff coming from her.
"...This is my burden, not anyone else's." She softly answered, Naoki's eyes widening.
"I know you worry about me, and I'm sorry that you do... I'm fine, really I am." She said, pulling her head out of her chest to wipe her eyes.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to start crying..." To this, Naoki could only groan softly.
"No, I yelled at you. Of course that would make you upset. Forgive me?" He said, titling her chin up to look at the puppy face expression he was giving her.
"Forgive me?" He asked again with a quivering lip and Takara chuckled, giving him a soft smile.
"Okay, I forgive you. And I'm sorry too for worrying you."
"To which you are forgiven if I get to spend more time with you. It's weird not seeing you every day!" He said and Takara rolled her eyes.
"Ryouta said that too." She told him and he arched an eyebrow as they started to walk again.
"Wait... Ryouta?" He said, a small smirk coming to his lips.
"Since when did you start calling Kise, Ryouta?" Naoki wondered and Takara rolled her eyes.
"Is it weird that I'm calling him by his first name?" She questioned and he laughed. "No, I just didn't know you started doing that. Any reason why?" Before Takara could ask him, the blue haired girl felt her ears perk at the sound of whimpering.
"Do you hear that?" She asked and he slowly nodded, moving closer to the park that they were getting ready to pass on their way to Seirin.
"Yeah... It's coming from behind this tree." He said and once he looked around the bark, his eyes widening at the sight.
"Uh... Taka?"
At the school, Hyuuga had just finished jogging around the campus and was hating the feeling he was getting in his aching muscles. With a groan he started to rub his shoulder as he moved his arm back and forth, trying to ease the pain.
'When will my muscle ache go away?!' He thought in annoyance, thinking back to the hard work their coach had put them through at the beach.
'...But we've no time to waste!' Hyuuga then moved inside the gymnasium and to the lockers where he took off his shirt and placed his school bag away.
'Not after watching a match from hell like that! We've got to buck up!' He then thought back to the match of Touou versus Kaijou, shuddering at the feeling he got when thinking back on Touou's Aomine Daiki. With a sigh, Hyuuga finished changing and moved to the basketball courts, hearing noise coming from inside.
"Someone's in..." He started, but then smirked.
'They think like I do!'
"Hi!" He said with a smile as he walked inside, but jumped back in surprise when Kagami dunked the ball over his head, Koganei and Izuki trying to guard him.
"GAME?!" He shouted in shock and suddenly all eyes were on him.
"Wait, everybody's here!" He shouted again and everyone chuckled, Koganei being the first one to speak.
"Ah, hi, captain!" He said with a grin and the captain sighed, placing his hands on his hips as he looked at his team.
"I'm glad everyone's motivated. But you've got to last all day during our formal training time! Be careful not to wreck your body from over-training!" He announced and Teppei grinned at his words, Hyuuga noticing all the twitching his body was doing.
"How can we not?! After watching that match!"
"Of all the people here you're the worst offender, Kiyoshi! You're already trembling!" Hyuuga snapped, Kagami being the next to speak.
"But we're up against the 'Generation of Miracles' this winter! Either we do it or fail trying! No time for worries!" He said proudly and Hyuuga sighed again, but this time with a small smile over at the red head, knowing nothing he said would change the freshman's mind. Everyone decided to take a small break and grab some water from their bottles, Hyuuga looking around and noticing that someone had not been there...
"Hey? Takara's not here!" He announced and Kagami's eyes widened, not realizing that she hadn't been there with him since he arrived.
"Good morning..." And with perfect timing, the blue haired female arrived in the gym carrying a small box, all her teammates eyes turning to her.
"You're here!" Hyuuga said happily, not noticing the box in her hands at first. "We'll be starting early today!"
Nodding, Takara walked through the doors of the gym and all Seirin's eyes widened when they spotted a tall pink haired male, carrying Takara's gym bag, walk inside behind her.
"Hey!" Naoki greeted with a grin and Hyuuga almost fainted at seeing the Touou male manager so quickly after their win yesterday.
"Hope you don't mind." Takara started.
"He insisted that he come with me today." She said, a slight glare being sent over to the pink haired male who only chuckled.
"Oh come on, Taka! I never get to see you! I miss watching you play basketball!" He told her and she rolled her eyes, turning back to Hyuuga and Izuki, the Eagle eyed player trying to cool Hyuuga down.
"I've got this here!" She said, both second years arching a brow at her announcement.
"What?" They both asked in unison and suddenly, a little black and white husky puppy stuck it's head out of the box, Takara still looking at her team.
"A doggie." Finally, the other Seirin players wandered over to her and their jaws dropped at the little puppy in the box.
"You've brought a doggie here... WAIT, NO!" Hyuuga shouted out and Takara blinked, her expression still blank.
"Why?" She asked and he groaned, moving away from the female to grip his hair.
"How did you find it?" Izuki decided to ask and Takara set the box down, the puppy barking to be picked up by her. Takara then took off her jacket and carefully picked the puppy up under his front legs, not expecting him to suddenly crawl onto her shoulder until he rested on the back of her head with his tail wagging happily.
"Um, in the park along our school..." She started, the puppy still attached to her head.
"I think the doggie likes you!" Izuki said with amusement as Takara tried to get him off, but he wouldn't budge.
"But what are we going to do about the dog?"
"It's not a sin to just ignore it along the road, but once we've taken it in, it's bad to turn it away..." Hyuuga explained and Izuki took a few steps closer to Takara, the puppy and Naoki, looking carefully at the dog's expression.
"Hey everyone... Don't you think the doggie looks like..." He started, catching the team's attention.
"Huh?" They all started, looking from the dog to Takara a few time, noticing the same colored eyes and expression...
"IT'S TAKARA-! IT'S EYES!" A few screeched out as they jumped back, Takara watching with slight confusion.
"Damn, we're getting emotionally attached to it already...!" The captain cried out as Koganei laughed happily, moving over to the two and pointing down at the puppy still on her head.
"Doggie, from today onwards your name is Takara No.2!" He said and Hyuuga groaned loudly.
"Don't give it a name! Now we really can't turn it back onto the streets anymore!"
"Also... I don't think the puppy is a girl..." Takara started, thinking about how it would be strange to have a male puppy also be called Takara.
"Hmm, fine! How about Tetsuya? Or just No.2?" He asked with a grin, the blue haired girl having to think about it.
"One more thing I noticed..." Teppei started, turning to the corner of the gym and spotting Kagami cowering away.
"What are you doing there, Kagami?!" He called, the red head slowly turning back with tears in the corner of his eyes and an expression of utter fear.
"No... Well, I... I have a problem with dogs..." He admitted, Seirin's jaws dropping once again while Naoki chuckled, having to hold in his laughter.
"WHY?!"
"You weakling... We thought you were a tiger when you first arrived! Tiger (Taiga), don't succumb to the little doggie like this!" Hyuuga shouted and Kagami scoffed. "I never said I was a tiger!" He shouted back, not realizing Takara had gotten closer to him, her expression not it's normal blank one, but slightly upset.
"Kagami... Please don't say that!" She said softly, the red head looking up at her with a shocked expression.
"Takara?" He muttered, but jumped up from the ground when the puppy was now in her hands and not her head, slowly getting closer to the red head.
"Look here- It's so cute!"
"Stay away from me! Damn... Takara! Stop! Or I'll kill you afterword!" He growled at her, Takara still moving after him with the puppy.
'She did it on purpose!' The whole team thought with amusement as Naoki leaned against the wall, his shoulders trembling with laughter as he hit the wall with his fist a few times.
"...Morning, everyone! What's the commotion over there?" Riko called as she entered the gym, moving over to her team and spotting Takara corning Kagami.
"You have... A DOGGIE?!" She cried out in surprise.
"Why did you bring it to the sport hall?!" She asked as she moved to Takara, the brunette's cheeks suddenly turning pink as she saw the puppies eyes and immediately took it from the other female.
"Oh no! It's super cute! It's plushy fur!" She explained while she happily spun with the puppy, Teppei turning away and Hyuuga twitching.
"Get a hold of yourself, coach!"
"Let's see... We can't abandon it anymore. We'll figure out how to take care of it later..." Teppei started, turning to his team. "Hands up, those who want to keep it in our club!" He asked and all hands went up.
"YES!" They all said and then all turned to Kagami who was still hiding in the corner.
"Those who are against the idea!" Teppei asked next and slowly the red head's hand went up, still nervously sweating up a storm.
"You want to abandon a doggie for a second time?" Takara asked him sadly, the puppy now back in her arms resting on her chest.
"Don't look at me with those two pairs of identical eyes!" Kagami shouted, avoiding eye contact with his friend.
"When I say I can't, that means I can't! Back when I was a kid in the States, a gigantic dog bit me! Believe me!" He said with a shudder, remembering the incident. "Well..." Riko started, not wanting to get ride of the puppy at all.
'We're a basketball club, it's not advisable to keep random pets and take up time...' She thought, turning over to the smaller female.
"Takara, I think it's bad for us to do it, but..."
"I see your point." Takara started, all thinking that she was going to be upset about not keep the puppy and not knowing what to say...
"But can we keep it if we manage to convince, Kagami?" She then asked, a small twinkle in her eye as she voiced her question.
"What? Well... Are you sure you can?" Riko questioned, flinching when she felt an arm around her shoulder and a familiar voice speak.
"If it's Taka, then she can do anything!" Naoki told the brunette coach with a grin, blinking when he heard her squeak and practically faint in his arm.
"COACH?!" The whole team shouted as Naoki rubbed the back of his head with his free hand.
"Miss Seirin coach? You okay?" He asked and suddenly Riko sprung back to life, her face red with embarrassment as she moved out of his arms.
"Y-y-yes I'm f-f-fine!" She stuttered, trying to get her composure back.
"W-what are you doing here?" She questioned and Naoki grinned, pointing over his shoulder at Takara and Riko sighed. Of course that's why he would be there. Why did she need to ask?
"Okay. Well... Just try and stay out of our way. And no note taking!" She ordered and Naoki chuckled, placing his hands in his pockets.
"No worries! That's my sister's job not mine! I worry about injuries." He explained and Riko blinked at his words, also impressed.
"Huh... Alright then. Takara." She called, the blue haired female turning to her. "...I'll give you one day. Just don't let this get in the way of our practice!" She said and Takara nodded.
"I'll ensure it doesn't get in the way." She promised, Kagami stone cold silent as he moved up from his spot on the floor.
'Why did it turn out like this...?' He wondered, Hyuuga coughing into his fist before barking out an order.
"Without further ado! We'll start with jogging!" He said and everyone nodded, Takara moving over to her captain.
"Captain... Can I bring No.2 along?"
"Huh? No.2?" He asked, looking down at the puppy who was wagging his tail at her ankles.
"I think given a chance for them to get along in our neighborhood, Kagami will get used to it..." She explained and Hyuuga nodded, understanding.
"Fine, then... Since our coach gave you one day, let it come along! Let's go!" He said to the rest of the team, patting her shoulder as he moved past her, Takara giving a small smile to her captain.
"Thank you." She said and Hyuuga blushed, coughing into his hand again as he turned away from her.
"No need to thank me-"
"Hey, captain!" Naoki said, suddenly wrapping his arm around the Seirin second year's shoulders, Hyuuga flinching at his touch and at how tall the pink haired male really was next to him. The two were almost the same height!
"Mind if I tag along too?" He asked and everyone turned to him, shocked at his question.
"Huh?" Was the only thing Hyuuga managed to say and Naoki laughed, pulling the band from his wrist to tie back his hair.
"I know I'm not a player, but I'm in pretty good shape and think I can keep up." He said with a smirk and Hyuuga tsked, also smirking back at the pink haired male.
"If you think you can, then fine, feel free." He said and Naoki clapped his hands together happily, taking off his own jacket and preparing to jog with the rest of the Seirin males and Takara.
"See you later, coach!" They all said as they left the room, Riko waving good bye to her team as she prepared some new plays.
"I can't hear you!" Hyuuga shouted back at his team, the group of Seirin students jogging along the riverside of their town.
"Seirin- Fight!" They all shouted back.
"Oh! Fight! Yes!" They all shouted again, all their eyes widening when they heard a bark come from next to Takara.
"Ooh?! No.2 yells along with us! Clever, doggie-!" Koganei said happily, loving the fact that he was jogging next to Takara, Naoki and No.2.
"Hey! Training seems more enjoyable with a pet coming along! Fun! Right, Kagami?" He asked as he turned around, not expecting the red head to be more than thirty feet away from his team.
"KAGAMI-?! Are you still running with us?" He demanded with a confused expression before sighing and turning back to run along with the team. Takara peeking over at her shoulder at Kagami before Naoki who only shrugged down at her with a smile.
After the team jog and warm up stretches, the players started to work scrimmage practices and Izuki had the ball with Takara in his view.
"Here! Takara, pass!" He shouted and the blue haired girl nodded, catching his pass and immediately sending it to Tsuchida who scored with a lay up.
"Nice work!" Hyuuga shouted with a grin, both him and Izuki blinking when they heard No.2 also barking happily for Takara's pass.
"You understand what we do here, No.2?" Hyuuga muttered in awe, Koganei appearing at their side.
"Really? We've gotten a nice doggie!" He said and Kagami groaned, preparing to shoot the ball.
'Idiots... How can a dog understand what we do?!' He thought as he jumped to dunk, Fukuda trying to block him.
"NO WAY!" He cried out as he tried to block the red head, blinking when he heard No.2 bark again and Kagami scream out, completely missing the basket.
"YOU KNOW WHERE THE BASKET IS?!" Hyuuga shouted at the freshman, Takara looking over at No.2 who was happily barking at wagging is tail, a small smile appearing on her lips.
It was then that Takara decided to make it her goal to get Kagami to accept the little puppy, no matter what. All during practice, she would try to bring No.2 close to Kagami, when he was doing stretches, eating or grabbing his water bottle. But nothing seemed to be working in her favor...
"I said we can't keep this! Put it back or something!" Kagami seethed in annoyance, the other Seirin members turning to the red head.
"Why the sudden rage?!" Koganei asked and Kagami growled, holding up his shoe to the second years.
"IT POOPED ONTO MY SNEAKER!" He shouted and all the second years sighed, sweat dripping down their faces as they looked at the poor shoe.
'It's getting worse...' They all thought as the red head left the gym, going somewhere to wash his shoe.
"Shit-" He muttered as he cleaned out his shoe in the outside water fountain, his shoulders twitching in annoyance.
'Perhaps I should just buy a new pair...?' He thought, stopping when he heard Takara's voice a few feet away from him.
"Kagami!" She called as he turned off the water, leaving his shoe in the sink.
"Why won't you try accepting it?!" She demanded and he turned to her, jumping back in shock at the sight of the puppy.
"KYAA! Stay away from me!" He shouted, growling over at the blue haired girl. "No way, I'm scared of dogs!" Kagami told her and she looked down at the puppy, #2 looking back up at her with a small whimper.
"...Perhaps... To you, there are lots of violent dogs around, but No.2 isn't one of those! I'm not coercing you to take care of it, but please just try petting it? I'm sure someone will take care of it so it won't be abandoned again, but try putting down your prejudges and taking a close look." She said, Kagami sighing at the sad look in her eye and how much she really seemed to like the small puppy...
"Takara, can you come over?" Fukuda called from the gym, Takara nodding and setting the puppy down on the ground.
"Yes." She said, turning to walk back to the gym as Kagami twitched.
"Wait, don't leave #2 with me!" He snapped but she ignored him, his red eyes turning down to the tiny puppy at his ankles.
'Even if you say it's different... I don't understand it just like how I don't understand other dogs! Would it bite me if I extend my hand...' He thought, suddenly noticing something different about his shoe that he didn't before.
"Wait... There's a gash in my sneakers! I didn't notice it!" Picking up his shoe, he examined it before setting it back down.
'I might get hurt if I continue to practice wearing that! Speaking of which... We've had a tough training load as always but everyone looked cheerful. I don't like hearing a dog barking in matches, but the same goes for rudely shouting spectators... Can I say there's nothing wrong with the dog...?' Slowly, he extended his hand over to No.2, his eyes widening with shock when the little husky pup licked the tips of his fingers.
The next day, No.2 was happily sitting next to the basket as Kagami prepared a beautiful shot, the husky barking at his score as it fell through the net.
"OH! NICE SHOT!" The others shouted as Kagami smiled, Hyuuga moving over to the red head with a smirk.
"You've accepted No.2?" He asked and Kagami nodded, rubbing the back of his head.
"Well, I get surprised by it at times, but... Just let it be." He said, No.2 suddenly whining sadly as his tail and ears stopped at the red head's words.
'WHAT?! This has nothing to do with phobia, but No.2 annoys the hell out of me!' He thought with anger as Riko moved over to number No.2, pulling something over his head.
"What's that?" Hyuuga asked, Riko smirking as she moved away from the husky, a little Seirin jersey with the number 16 resting on his body.
"Uniform for our new member!" She said with a grin, Kagami glaring down at the puppy.
"Turn it back to the park!" He shouted and Izuki scoffed with a smirk.
"Kagami, a real man never goes back on his word!" He said and the red head growled.
"Who cares!"
After Kagami finally accepted No.2, Takara made the decision that she was going to take the husky puppy home with her, having to fight Riko for him. When the brunette gave up, since No.2 liked Takara more than anyone else on the team other than Kagami, the blue haired female carried him to the nearest pet store to buy him food, a bed and some toys, carrying it home with her with No.2 on his new lease and collar.
"He seems to really like you." Naoki said with a grin as he carried the dog food while she held onto the toys, No.2 enjoying the walk.
"I suppose so." She said with a small smile, the two turning the corner of her street.
"You going to keep his name, No.2?" He questioned and she nodded, fiddling with the keys in her pocket.
"He responds to it and everyone on the team calls him that, I think it would be better to not change it." Agreeing, the pink haired male nodded and took Takara's keys out of his pocket to open the door for her and No.2. When the three were inside, he watched her take off her shoes and prepared to take off his own, but felt his cell go off in his pocket.
"Come on, No.2. Let's get you something to eat." She started and the husky happily barked, following her into the living room as Naoki pulled out his phone.
"Hello?" He greeted, preparing to take off his shoes but stopped when he heard who was on the other line.
"Aomine?" He whispered with narrowed eyes, straightening up as he set the bags on the ground next to the door.
"What do you want?" He wondered and after he heard his reply, the pink haired male's eyes widened as he peeked out the window; spotting the dark skinned freshman wearing a dark navy jacket with the hood up standing outside Takara's house with his phone pressed to his ear. With an annoyed groan, the pink haired male picked up the bag and moved into the living where he spotted Takara setting down No.2's food and water bowls.
"Taka." He started, watching as she lifted her head to look up at him.
"Something came up, I have to go." He told her and she blinked, nodding with understanding.
"I'll see you soon okay?" With a nod, she allowed him to kiss her head before he left the living room, Takara listening for the door to shut and click before she was left alone with her hungry puppy.
The week went by quickly and it was now Friday, Kagami, Takara, Huruhata, Fukuda and Kawahara sitting inside MAJI Burger with Kagami trying to eat a broccoli within his left hand chopsticks.
"Ah... Ah... Ah!" He started as he almost lifted it to his lips, his hand and chopsticks shaking drastically. But after it hit his bottom lip, the broccoli fell back to his plate and he snapped.
"ARGH, SHIT!" He shouted in annoyance, Takara sipping on her vanilla shake and looking at the red head in confusion.
"What's been wrong with you since this morning?" Kawahara asked with a blank face, Fukuda turning over to Furihata.
"What's he doing there?" He asked the brunette munching on his fries.
"He said he's practicing using his left hand." He explained and Takara set down her shake, thinking back on something Kagami had told her.
' "Training my left leg to endure numerous jumps and improving my left hand, then I'll be able to move freely in an aerial battle!" '
"By the way, what are you going to do this weekend? It's our rare break after all!" Fukuda asked, Kagami scratching the back of his head.
"Hmph... I usually just sleep in." He said, the short haired freshman sighing. "Hah..." He muttered, Furihata suddenly speaking with a smile.
"Ah, I've got an idea!" He said, pulling out a flyer from his bag.
"This: You guys want to join?" He asked, the other four looking at the flyer that read 'Street Basketball Tournament'.
"Street basketball competition..." Kawahara started, groaning as he grabbed his soda.
"Our precious break from basketball training. We end up going back to the same game?!" He demanded, Takara taking the flyer from the brunette.
"Hmm. It takes 30 minutes by train, I think." She told her friends, Fukuda reading the bottom of it.
"Is it too late to sign up now?" He questioned, the brunette shaking his head.
"It says you can enroll on the same day." Furihata explained, leaning back as he grabbed his soda.
"You two are regulars, but we do want to play in competitions sometimes!" He said and Kagami chuckled, picking his up his chopsticks with his right hand.
"...Okay, let's go!"
It was now Sunday and Riko was walking through the outside halls of Seirin, making her way to the gymnasium to start working on new players. As she opened the doors, she was surprised to see Hyuuga taking a three point shot, making the goal.
"Ah, Hyuuga, you're here." She said, her eyes widening when she also spotted Mitobe, Koganei and Izuki on the court.
"Why are you... Everyone's here?!" She said with surprise, sighing and placing her hands on her hips.
"You guys... It's Sunday!" She started and Hyuuga shrugged, dribbling the ball at his side.
"We're only here in the morning." He said.
"Hey... None of our juniors are here!" Riko suddenly noticed, looking around the gym and then back to Hyuuga who took a shot.
"They went to the street basketball tournament!" He said, the brunette heavily sighing at the news.
"All of you... Workaholics!"
"...Takara, what are you wearing?" Kagami asked slowly, the other three freshman blushing at her outfit.
"What?" She questioned, looking down at what she picked out for the day, not knowing what was wrong with it. She was wearing a blue and white stripped tank top with a open woman's white button up shirt on her shoulders rolled up to her elbows, black leggings that ended over her knees, blue tennis shoes and her hair up in a bun. Her bangs brushed out of her eyes and a few longer pieces falling onto her cheeks. What was so bad about her outfit?
"No.2 likes my outfit." She commented, looking down at the little husky who happily barked up at her, wearing his blue collar and leash which was held securely in her hand.
"...Don't you normally wear a few sports bras?" The red head asked bluntly, the other two freshmen allowing their jaws to drop as the color drained from their faces.
'HOW CAN HE ASK THAT SO CALMLY?!' They all thought in unison and Takara shrugged her shoulders, her chest lightly bouncing at her movement.
"We aren't playing yet so it doesn't make sense for me to them keep pinned down. But I have a few in my bag when we do." She said, holding up her small backpack and Kagami nodded, accepting her answer.
"Okay. But be careful, lots of people might look at them." He told her with a cough, Takara blinking as she started to walk with him down the road.
"Why would people look at my chest?" She asked bluntly and he sighed, the other three almost falling over at her question.
'ARE YOU SERIOUS, TAKARA?! WHY YOU SO DENSE?!' They thought with heavy sighs, quickly moving after the two friends into the crowded park where many basketball players were standing around.
"Ho, the tournaments grander in scale than I thought!" Fukuda said as he looked around, a grin on Furihata's lips.
"And," Kagami started, turning around and noticing that Teppei had followed them, a smile on his lips.
"Why are you here?!" The red head demanded and the second year blinked, still smiling.
"Why not?" He asked and Kagami sighed, not having an answer.
"I don't mean that... Where's Kawahara?" He asked Fukuda who chuckled nervously.
"He's down wit the flu." He responded and the red head groaned.
"Hah..."
"Takara." Teppei greeted with a grin, his eyes suddenly moving from her face to her chest, his eyes widening at how large they really were...
"Hello, Teppei." She greeted, No.2 also barking to him in greeting.
"You joining us today?" She questioned and he didn't answer, his eyes still locked on her chest with red on his cheeks.
"Teppei?" She asked again and this time Kagami growled and hit the second year on the back of his head.
"Don't you have any manners?!" The red head demanded and Teppei winced, rubbing the back of his head.
"Ah.. Sorry... Those are just... Wow." He muttered, never seeing Takara wear any other clothing than her basketball and school uniforms. Rolling his eyes, Kagami hit him again and Teppei laughed, turning over to Furihata as tears pricked his eyes from the pain. "Just relax and enjoy! I've come to back you up!"
"Yes..." Furihata mumbled, shaking his head at Teppei's stupidity for looking dead straight at Takara's chest.
'This venue feels like the states...' Kagami thought as the group moved through the park, fiddling with the ring on his necklace.
"Where's the booth?" Fukuda asked as he searched the flyer, the brunette glancing around until he grinned and pointed to his right.
"Ah-! Over there!" The Seirin five moved over to the booth and started to sign up their team, a loud yet familiar voice coming from their right.
"Idiot, you wrote it the wrong way again!" The voice said, Kagami curiously looking over.
"Hmm?" He started, paling when he saw who was standing next to him and his team...
"Whoa!" One of the other guys mumbled as he hit his friend in the elbow, the shaven haired teen turning to his left and stuttering as he pointed at the red and Takara who peeked under his arm.
"SEIHOU?!" Furihata and Fukuda shouted along with Kagami as Tomoki shouted right back in surprise along with another member of his team.
"SEIRIN?!"
"Hey, what a coincidence!" Kasuga said with a smirk as he looked down at Takara who was now sitting next to him on a hill in the park, both schools deciding to eat lunch together after their signed up.
"You're here! Not practicing today?" He asked her and she nodded, pulling a sandwich out of her bag after letting No.2 off his leash.
"It's our day off." She told him and he nodded, Tomoki shaking at the sight of Kagami eating his now fourth sandwich.
"Are you legs fine now?" Iwamaru asked Teppei and the second year nodded, smiling over at the third year.
"Yeah, I guess." He responded and Kagami turned away from Tomoki, asking the Seihou captain a question of his own.
"And what about your practice?" He wondered, still chewing his lunch.
"Ha?! Man you're rude!" Tomoki shouted and Kagami looked over at him with a confused expression.
"Huh?"
"Kagami, well..." Teppei started, trying to word it properly but Iwamaru finished instead.
"Tsugawa's still in the team, but we seniors have retired." He said, shocking the four freshman of Seirin.
"...What? Wait...! There's still the winter cup!" Kagami shouted and Kasuga sighed, leaning his chin in his hand.
"You're clueless about that? Seihou's not taking part in the winter cup tournament. The two representing our province, are chosen amongst the top 8 in summer!" He explained, Kagami blinking at his words.
"Wha... We won't compete against you again...?" He asked and Iwamaru shook his head.
"The pair competing in winter, among our block of summer are just Shuutoku and Seirin." He said, standing up with the rest of his team, the blonde third year following. "So... After we lost to you in the heats, we bade our club farewell! We've studying for university entrance exams now, and doing basketball this weekend for fun."
"If we're lucky, we'll finally settle the match that never happened last summer!"
"Please don't be hard on me then!" Teppei said with a chuckle at Iwamaru's words, the old Seihou captain smirking back in response.
"People don't forget grievances easily! And whatever bad blood there is, we hope we'll settle it in full!" Kasuga said with his own smirk, pulling his bag from the ground and hoisting it on his shoulder while Iwamaru grabbed the back of Tomoki's shirt.
"We don't have our full regulars here, but today, help us clear all debts and leave at peace so we can study!" He said as he moved over to Takara, taking her hand into his own and gently kissing her knuckles.
"Plus, it would be a pleasure to play against your little blue spitfire again." He said with a smirk and Takara softly smiled back, allowing him to help her to her feet.
"I would like a rematch." She said and he grinned, Iwamaru chuckling at the small freshman.
"Good, because next time you will lose." He said, rubbing the top of her head and she chuckled, hitting his hand away gently, No.2 barking up at him with his tail wagging.
"Cute little pup you got there!" Kasuga said with a grin, bending down to pet No.2 who happily accepted.
"We call him No.2." She told him and he chuckled, coming back up to look down at her.
"What? As it Takara 2?" He questioned and she shrugged.
"He's a boy though, so Takara 2 would sound strange." She said and Seihou chuckled, Tomoki rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, looking nervously over at the blue haired female.
"Hey, Kuroko..." He started, Takara blinking and looking over at him.
"Can I talk to you for a moment?" All eyes were suddenly on him at his question and Takara looked over at Kagami for a moment before nodding and handing him the lease. "Sure." She said as she started to move over to him, but Kagami was quick to grab her wrist to hold her back.
"Kagami?" The red head narrowed his eyes over at the second freshman who glared back, not going to be intimidated by him.
"I'm not going to hurt her." He explained to the red head, Kagami still not letting go of Takara's wrist.
"It's okay, Kagami." Takara said, looking up at her taller friend.
"I'll be right back, and we'll be in view. I promise." With an annoyed sigh, Kagami slowly let go of her wrist and ran his hand through his hair, watching Takara follow Tomoki down the hill.
"You're sure protective over her." Iwamaru commented, Seihou turning to look at the Seirin team, all their eyes glued on Takara's back.
"Something happen?" He questioned and Kagami growled, Teppei sighing before answering instead.
"He's been like this since our match against Touou." He explained, Kasuga arching his eyebrow.
"As we all know, Takara was once a member of the 'Generation of Miracles', and Touou's new Ace is Aomine Daiki. The two of them didn't seem to hit it off well at the match for he..." With another sigh, Teppei ran his hand through his hair, knowing that Seihou wanted to hear what happened.
"He rough housed her and treated her jaw injury like it was nothing, she had finger bruises for days but always said it was nothing. Then one of his teammates broke her nose when Kagami was taken off the court."
"What the hell?" Kasuga growled, looking down at Takara who was still chatting with Tomoki.
"No wonder her nose looked slightly off..." He commented and Kagami nodded, placing his hands in his pockets.
"Takara may not like being treated like she is fragile, but she is. She hasn't been able to smile that well since Aomine did that to her." He said, clenching his fists in his pockets. "She won't say anything, but we can all tell." Iwamaru, Kasuga, Izumi and Hiro looking down at Takara, watching as she placed her hand on Tomoki's shoulder, a tiny smile playing on her lips.
"It can't get much bigger... Can it?" The blonde wondered and Kagami nodded, watching as the two started to move back up the hill together.
"Sorry to for making you all wait." She said as she and Tomoki arrived to their friends, Kagami handing the lease back to her.
"No problem. Everything alright?" Teppei asked with a smile and she nodded. "Yes, we were just putting the past behind us." She explained, all of them arching eyebrows in confusion.
"Don't worry about it." Tomoki started, a slight blush on his cheeks.
"Come on, let's go." He said, taking off down the hill again, Seihou looking at each other before shrugging the waving good bye to Seirin.
"Man, what a shock!" Furihata said once they were finally gone, Seirin also walking down the hill together.
"And Kiyoshi-senpai, you know them?" He asked and Teppei smiled.
"Well, he's a reputed centre, and we've seen each other in middle school competitions." He explained and the brunette nodded, glancing over at Kagami, who was still eating.
"I think it's almost time... Stop eating already, Kagami! We need to go now!" He shouted out and Kagami shrugged, finishing off his last sandwich.
"Ah, hah." He mumbled and slowly brought his right hand up to grip onto his necklace, not knowing that Takara was watching.
"..."
"What are you thinking right now?" She asked, shocking him out of his thoughts. "Ah, whoa! Oh... Nothing much, just thoughts about my old days in the States. The tournament's air feels the same!" He explained and Takara nodded, her blue eyes trailing back to his necklace.
"Does it have something to do with the ring?" She questioned and he turned to her with wide eyes.
"HUH?! Why...?" To this, Takara only rolled her eyes.
"You've been fiddling with it! This ring, I've noticed you keep it with you at all times." She explained and was met with silence, watching as Kagami sighed and gripped onto the ring again.
"This ring was from someone I played basketball with, an important gift to me!" He told her and she nodded.
"...You two must be close!"
"How can I describe it...? And before you misunderstand this, this guy isn't dead!" He started with narrowed eyes, Takara rolling her again.
"Perhaps you could say we're close, but we just happen to have very different temperaments... He taught me basketball, and sometimes I taught him as well... He's someone... Whom I want to play against once more, but never the second time!" He explained, looking up to the sky with a sullen expression that Takara had never seen... And just listening to him speak, and tell her how he really felt about the ring, made her only stare at him in awe...
'Kagami...'
Somewhere else in the park, Seihou was now a good distance away from the Seirin players, Kasuga looked over his shoulder at Tomoki.
"So what did you and spitfire talk about?" The blonde asked, curious on what had been said between the two freshmen. A small blush appeared on his cheeks and Kasuga immediately stopped, the other three stopping as well.
"What's with the blush?" He asked with an arched brow, a smirk appearing on his lips.
"Did she reject you?" He asked and his face turned red, this time with anger.
"NO YOU IDIOT! SHE DIDN'T REJECT ME!" Tomoki seethed, the blonde busting out laughing at his teammates sudden rage.
"We talked about her injury from Teikou..." The shaven haired teen said, Iwamaru's eyes widening as Kasuga stopped laughing at his words.
"I never told you guys... But I was the team playing against her when it happened... I saw it all. And it… It was gruesome." He admitted, and the two third years turned to one another in surprise.
"I wanted to see how she was doing, and apologize for how I treated her when we met again on the court during our match. I was a total ass." He explained, rubbing the back of his neck.
"She said she is doing okay, but I'm not sure if she was telling the truth... The small smiles she did try to give me looked forced and slightly painful..." Tomoki mumbled and Kasuga sighed, running his hand through his hair as Iwamaru spoke.
"That's because they were." He said and Tomoki's eyes shot over to him.
"When you two were talking, Kagami told us about their game against Touou. Aomine Daiki rough housed her jaw during the match and another player broke her nose." Iwamaru explained and the freshman's eyes widened.
"Seirin was telling us and how she keeps her pain a secret from her team, but they can all tell. She is a tough girl and doesn't like to show her emotions, probably since the accident. But that doesn't stop Seirin and the other 'Generation of Miracles' players to be over protective. You remember Midorima at our game when you spoke to her." He said and Tomoki winced, remembering the pain that he felt in his wrist from the Shuutoku's players harsh grip.
"You did the right thing in making amends." Iwamaru told him, a small smirk on his lips.
"That way it won't hurt later when we beat them." Kasuga smirked at his friend's words and Tomoki chuckled, nodding in agreement.
"Yeah!" With a chuckle, the team all started to move again and Tomoki decided to finally ask a question.
"I saw someone from Seirin that I've never seen. You know him?" He asked his old captain, who looked over at him.
"...Kiyoshi? Yeah. Except for one person I can think of. I'd say he's the strongest center I've seen." Iwamaru said Tomoki blinked.
"And who's that guy?" He wondered, Iwamaru answering.
"The center of the 'Generation of Miracles', Murasakibara Atsushi." At this, Kasuga arched an eyebrow.
"...And where did he go?" He asked his friend, Iwamaru narrowing his eyes as they walked.
"I heard... It's Yosen High! Once they've managed to secure someone from the 'Generation of Miracles', they've firmly secured their position as a National powerhouse! I'm sure Yosen will be a serious contestant in the National Championship these three years!" He told his team, all nodding at his words and wondering why kind of players the team had.
"Hmm... You said Yosen?" Tomoki asked, licking his lips in annoyance.
"I've seen a guy with that sports bag just now! I think so!" He explained, all eyes moving to him.
"Huh?" The old captain started, unsure of how that could be possible...
"How can that be, Yosen's from Akida..." He said, but the Seihou team stopped when they heard a voice come out from the speakers around them.
"The first found will commence soon; team Seihou please assemble in the court." The voice said and Kasuga smirked, flipping his hair behind his shoulders.
"Oh, we're out of time. Let's go!" He said, Seihou not knowing what kind of the game that they were getting themselves into...
After a long while, the Seirin team had finally made it to the basketball courts, a large group of people standing around loudly chatting.
"Oh no, we're late!" Fukuda shouted, Furihata turning back to glare at Kagami. "That's because you went back for more food! Kagami stop eating!" He snapped and Kagami rolled his eyes, a corn dog in his mouth.
"I'm sure Seihou will win!" The red head said confidently, Seirin moving into the large crowd of bystanders.
"What's that commotion?!" The brunette asked as they moved to the front, Takara's eyes shooting open when she saw what was going on on the court...
"How can that be... Who's that?!" Fukuda shouted, noticing that Seihou were on the court, sweating like dogs as Tomoki sat on his knees in shock. The score reading Seihou losing with 32 points to 51. Standing on the court, was a tall young man with black hair that fell into his eyes, he was wearing a white shirt with a V neck and immediately, Kagami knew who it was based on what hung around his neck...
"What... Someone managed to defeat Seihou by a wide margin.." Furihata mumbled, Kagami's shoulders twitching as he spoke next.
"...And why is he here?!" He demanded, Takara's eyes turning to him quickly.
"Why... Is he here..." Kagami snapped, Takara's eyes shooting open at his sudden rage.
'Iwamaru and his team were no push overs, and yet...?! If that bag is his... A player from Yosen High?' Teppei thought, also stunned silent by the way the game had played out. It was then though, that Kagami snapped once he noticed the birthmark under the black haired man's right eye.
"HIMURO TATSUYA!" He shouted out and all eyes were suddenly to him, Tatsuya smirking when he spotted the red head.
"Taiga...?! I never expected to see you here. What a surprise!" He greeted, Kagami's rage suddenly dwindling at Tatsuya's smirk turning to a smile.
"You don't look surprised at all, still wearing a poker face!"
"I'm not trying to hide my feelings. I'm just expressing them in my way." He said and Takara's eyes were changing between Kagami and Tatsuya, Furihata and Fukuda staring at the red head in shock.
"Your friend...?" They muttered before their minds both exploded.
'And Kagami you... Kagami spoke such a fluent English?!' They thought in unison, Teppei turning over to the black haired young man.
"Is it Mr. Himuro? Kagami's friend?" He asked, also speaking in English which caused Tatsuya to chuckle.
"Ahh, it's okay, just speak Japanese. I'm just used to speaking English at all times." He said and Teppei chuckled too, letting out a sigh of relief.
"Thank god, that helps!"
"I'm not really his friend. If you must define it... I'd say I'm his big brother." Tatsuya said with a slight smile, all eyes turning to Kagami once again who only nodded. "Yeah..." The red head started, taking a deep breath before he spoke his story.
"I moved to States in third grade, because like most people, my parents went to work there. We rented a place in Los Angeles, and I attended a local school there. The first few days weren't as I would have imagined, I didn't make any friends and I was nervous about my English skills at that time. And so appears Himuro. He asked me if I wanted to play basketball wit him for he was shorthanded, and I quickly accepted although I was a beginner. As the game commenced he dominated the other team and after his victory, he asked if I would like to be taught how to play. Time passed and Tatsuya was a wonderful teacher, I had learned to play the game better than he thought I would in such a short about of time. It was then that I admitted that if I ever had a brother, I wish it would be him and he gave me this ring..." He said, gripping onto the ring again before continuing.
"He had a matching set of two that he always wore and he gave the other to me... Accepting my words of being my brother. And, three years later... Tatsuya, being one year old, graduated before me. Then I graduated and went to a middle school somewhere else. And one year later- I was playing at a local park with some other guys, easily passing them out and they wanted me to join their team to play against the street ball champs. I quickly accepted until I noticed who was on the other team, it was Tatsuya himself who I hadn't seen in four years. That day, I won against Tatsuya for the first time. However, our levels were not that far apart; I lost the next game. We played every week after that, both of us would win some and lose some. The competition was close. The competition continued to the day with 49 wins and 49 losses.
Before our next game, Tatsuya told me that if he lost against me, he would no longer be my brother and I... I couldn't accept that... The game was 46 to 46 and I heard his teammates talking about how he had hurt his wrist stopping a fight and I purposely missed my alley-oop that would win the game. After the game he found me and punched me, knowing what I had done and then accepted that that game would be a draw. But the next... Would be a bet on his ring which he still always wore like I had. If I lost the next game I would have to hand over the ring and pretend it never existed, and not run away from his challenge. However, I returned to Japan soon after that, and never had a chance to face Tatsuya in a match again." Kagami finished, his eyes locked on the cement court as Tatsuya stood silently, Seirin unsure of how to process his story. Before Takara could say anything to her friend, she noticed a smirk appear on Tatsuya's lips.
"It's a shame we didn't compete there, but I've settled back here this year. I'm in a school named Yosen High now. I've always wondered when we'll face off again, and there's never a day too early. I think today's the best time... To fulfill our promise!"
Along the outer rings of the basketball courts, a tall young man with purple hair made his way through the crowd, happily chewing on a chocolate pocky stick. His purple eyes searching the crowd for his friend.
"Ahh, hmm… This flavor lacks punch!" The young man grumbled, taking another bite of the candied sick.
"…But more importantly…" He asked himself curiously, noticing that by one court where a large group of people were forming. Pushing the piece of pocky fully in between his lips, he let his bag of snacks hit against his hip before his body moved toward the crowded court.
"Hmm… Can I find him there-?"
~ * 'The possession of knowledge does not kill the sense of wonder and mystery. There is always more mystery.' * ~ Anais Nin.
End of 'Chapter Twenty-Four: A Little Friend'
Next... 'Chapter Twenty-Five: The Double Reunion'
And ta-da! An early upload! I couldn't wait to give you guys this chapter! It's one of my favorites that I have written so far. Plus I was super happy to bring Seihou back in for a bit! Tomoki and Kasuga are always fun to write. Plus I'm in Vegas right now visiting some friends and since they are working or at the gym right now I thought it would be a perfect time for a chapter upload! Hurray! I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter since you got to learn a bit more about Naoki and Takara's relationship and bringing in No. 2 and Tatsuya was just the yummy icing on the cake! I love Tatsuya if you can't tell. Also... I'm guessing you guys can figure out who is appearing again in the nect chapter, just with the title hint! Can't wait! I love him a lot too.
And of course... The thank yous! Thank you so much to xxTenshichaN25xx, hitomi65, VenusLove, Xxdreamergirl95xX, Yukkeni, hiyomi, near4EVER, MokonaStorm, xXxOtAkU-444xXx, Lady Syndra, nhawun1, Kuroshiroyuu, NarutoLuver896, RAwrzyyz, hiwatari1708, Guest, gigi323, and EndlessChains! Thank you guys so much for your wonderful words and dedication to this story! Love love love! Alrighty everyone! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and please don't forget to review and let me know what you guys think! Lots of love and see you soon!
Cheshire
Edited as of October 20 2015: