College has been going well, but it's been keeping me busy. I'm still in the midst of my many midterms so I wanted to sneak this update in before I forget about it c: Also, I've read all of your reviews—thank y'all for being so encouraging and supporting! It truly made me happy. I have the best readers/fans ever ~ so here's a longer update to make up for the long wait!

Disclaimer: All canon characters and canon events belong to Fujimaki Tadatoshi.

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SPARK

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Stop playing with the team?

Tomoko's eyes followed the blue haired boy as he got into position in the court. Though Kuroko didn't reveal the details of his tactic, he had meant exactly what he said. The team was to play like they normally do, and Kuroko was going to move around independently.

It was hard to wrap her head around at first. Teamwork was the foundation of Seirin's plays, but because of that, Kirisaki Daiichi had exposed it as a weakness...

Tomoko then finally understood when Izuki made a move to pass to Teppei. Hanamiya had predicted this and was ready to intercept the pass when the ball suddenly changed courses and shot towards a surprised Kagami—he reacted quickly enough to receive the ball and made a crowd-pleasing dunk.

"Nice!" Hyuuga gave Kuroko a friendly slap on the shoulder as he ran past; he was grinning, both from seeing the shocked expression on Hanamiya's face from being outwitted and from the comeback basket.

Riko sigh in relief; whatever past worry about the plan being a big gamble was no longer in her mindsets as she assessed the aftereffect. "Hanamiya did predict the best route that Izuki-kun was going for and had moved accordingly. In theory, he had a one-hundred percent chance at stealing the ball..."

"But his predictions won't matter anymore," Tomoko looked at the team with a grin reaching her own face. "Not when there's a shadow ahead of him."


"I can't believe it," Imayoshi commented while thoroughly impressed. "That attack was nothing short of exciting. Kuroko's intermediate passes have always been team plays until now. Even if they seem like unexpected trick plays to their opponents, they're actually well established attack patterns to his team," he explained to Sakurai, who didn't quite catch what Kuroko did as anything than the norm.

"So that pass..." the boy widened his eyes as Imayoshi nodded.

"It wasn't built into an attack pattern. His teammates didn't know about that pass. In other words, Kuroko changed the pass course on his own. Not even Hanamiya can predict a pass his teammates aren't expecting."

While the explanation allowed Sakurai to understand the what, or concept of the pass, he was still confused on the how. It was almost unbelievable, unheard of even, on how anyone would be able to catch a pass they weren't prepared for.

"But how did Kagami catch that pass?!"

"He just did."

Sakurai's chocolate eyes flitted to Aomine when he spoke up. The pass hardly surprised the tanned miracle, seeing that he was staring at the game with a bored expression.

"When you practice with him every day, you start to understand how Tetsu thinks. What you need isn't logic," he explained as Kuroko intercepted Hanamiya again and rerouted the ball to Teppei. "It's trust."

Momoi looked at Aomine as the crowd around them cheered for Seirin. She couldn't help but think that the trust Kagami has for Kuroko now was what the Generation of Miracles had as well... Back before everything changed.


"The gap is finally closing!" Tomoko cheered for her team as the score pulled up to a five-point difference with half of the quarter left.

"We need one more push..." Riko said from besides her, her eyes filled with hope at Hyuuga as he tried to shoot from the outside again. The ball slammed at the rim before bouncing off.

"He missed!"

All eyes immediately darted to the players under the net for the rebound. Seto and Furuhashi was double teaming Teppei as the ball came down. Tomoko and the rest of the team watched in horror as the two Kirisaki Daiichi players resumed their rough play on the brunette center and rendered him unable to move towards the ball.

"The referee couldn't see that...!" Tomoko gritted as the brunette ran after Seto and Furuhashi, obviously injured. They can't keep doing this... She turned to Riko and saw that the coach had a conflicted expression on her face as well. "Riko-san?" she hoped that the coach was thinking the same thing as her.

Riko let out a finalizing sigh and walked up to the referee. After a few seconds, the buzzer buzzed.

"Seirin, time out."

As the five players came back to the bench with surprise, Riko only look at them with stern and concerned eyes. "There are a few things I want to say, but..." she looked straight at Teppei. "First, you're at your limit. You're out, Teppei."

The brunette center immediately stood up with protest. "What? Wait a minute! We just have a little more left! If you take me out now—"

"Please listen to Riko-san," Tomoko said in agreement with the coach. She could barely look at all of the injuries the center bore without a wash of sadness and anger, but her salmon eyes bore into his dark, soulful ones. "It's not fair... Didn't we agree that we'll all be protectors?"

"Okuma-chan..."

"I don't want a repeat of last year," Riko was biting her lips as she made up her mind. "You can hate me for pulling you out. I'd rather have that than see you injured like that again."

Guilt struck Teppei; he could see that his words earlier had hurt the coach deeply.

"I agree."

Turning around, he was surprised to hear that even Kuroko was speaking up. "I don't have an older brother, but when you said you'd protect us, you seemed like one. It made me happy. That's why... I want you to keep protecting us. I don't want you to push yourself any harder in this game."

"Please let us protect you this one time," Tomoko added while fighting away her tears. "So that you can continue to protect us in the future!"

Teppei turned silent as all of the heartfelt emotions poured into his being. It hit him then that his way of protection would only harm the team if he repeated what happened last year. It's what we all want, isn't it? We all want to protect each other... he looked from Tomoko, to Riko, to Kuroko, to the rest of his team. When his eyes traveled to Hyuuga, the captain's sharp olive green glaze suddenly locked onto his.

"I'm sick of this!" Hyuuga stood up with a scowl. "Don't you get it?! We're telling you to leave the rest to us! Shut up and sit down!" he snapped. "Do you think we'd break our promise?"

"If you insist on coming back, then... We'll become the best team in Japan next year."

It was the short conversation they shared during the brunette center's stay at the hospital. Because of the seriousness of the injury, Teppei hadn't been able to come back until this year with rehab, and so the captain had promised to set the goal for this year.

Mitobe came up and stretched out his hand for Teppei. The gentle male may be silent, but his eyes and action conveyed it all. Everyones' did. Teppei looked at his own hands and nodded. "You're right. The rest is up to you," he exchanged a slap with Mitobe, and the team brightened up with renewed energy.

"Of course it is, moron!" Hyuuga scoffed with his back to the brunette and marched out to the court. "Stay there and wait like a good little boy! We'll bring you back a ticket to the Winter Cup!"


The audience cheered as the match resumed. Kasamatsu leaned forward slightly at Seirin's new lineup of players.

"They took out No. 7?"

"He's been the focus of the rough play," Kise replied with an understanding expression. Even he couldn't bare to watch it, and he was glad that the second-year center was out of the game. His eyes traveled to the players. "But with him out... Is this going to break Seirin?"

"No," Kasamatsu watched the teams play before shaking his read, surprising the blonde. "It might be the reason they won't break."

"Eh?"

Down below, Izuki analyzed his surroundings with a newfound calmness. He will make his pass like usual, and while he didn't know where Kuroko will show up, he knew the ball wouldn't end up in Kirisaki Daiichi's hands. His intended receiver was...

It went through! He sighed in relief as Hyuuga caught the ball after Kuroko diverted it. But it wasn't enough yet; Hyuuga went for the three-pointer only for the ball to bounce back with that increasingly familiar bang. Without Hyuuga's threes, we can't make it, Izuki thought as the team ran to the other side to defend the net as Kirisaki Daiichi drew closer. Even he could tell that the audience were confused at Seirin's best shooter's behavior.

We just need to wait for it...

Hyuuga got the ball again and called for Mitobe, but he stopped short as two players surrounded the center and Hanamiya appeared before him.

"You think you can do anything without Kiyoshi?" the Kirisaki Daiichi captain drawled with a smirk. "Who's next after that piece of junk?"

"I'm going to get you, Hanamiya," Hyuuga growled with anger, "I promise you won't get away with this!"

He suddenly lost control of the ball when Hanamiya touched it with the tip of his fingers, and both males ran after it as the ball bounced towards the outside of the court.

"Out of bounds, white ball!" the referee called.


"What do you think, Sakurai?" Wakamatsu asked the soft-spoken boy as they watched from their spot in the bleachers. He was kind of surprised and irritated that the usually precise Seirin captain would miss every one of his shots today. It was like watching a fly struggle in a web helplessly.

"His shoulders are tenser than usual. It's like he's overexcited. Three-pointers that require a delicate touch are a matter of chance, so no matter how good the shot, sometimes they just don't go in," Sakurai replied, not looking away from the captain. "However, once you make one, it's doesn't stop. He's especially like that."

After the ball was passed back in, the Seirin captain claimed possession of it again and Sakurai couldn't help but think that the air around the male suddenly shifted in that short period of time.

Huh? Tension seemed to have disappeared from him... It's like he's composed himself.

"Another miss?" Wakamatsu muttered when he saw the captain go for a three-pointer again.

"Just the opposite... It's perfect," Sakurai's chocolate eyes followed the ball as it soared towards the net. "It can't miss."


Both the crowd and Seirin's sidelines roared with life when Hyuuga finally made his shot.

"He made the shot," Kise widened his eyes with awe.

"They didn't break," Kasamatsu said. He could almost sigh with relief for Seirin; he could clearly see that the inside's confidence rose back to their usual state, if not higher, with that defining basket from the outside. "Kuroko broke the strands of Hanamiya's web, and Hyuuga's three freed the team."


"We're making a comeback! Hyuuga-senpai's three was so cool!"

"Winter Cup is right in front of us!"

Tomoko smiled for the first time since the match. She hadn't realized how tense she was until she felt her shoulders loosen after Hyuuga's successful shot, and now the feeling of restrictions tugging at her mind and heart had broken away. She turned to Riko and Teppei, "This is great!"

"We're going to be okay," Teppei said before his brows furrowed apologetically at Tomoko and the coach. "Sorry for making the team worry... And Riko, I'm sorry for talking to you like that."

Riko only shook her head. "I understand how you feel," she said. "It's just like Okuma-chan said; we all want to protect the team. The reason the damage to the rest of the team has been so light against such a violent team is because you protected them, Teppei."

"But the way Hanamiya-san's playing is still inexcusable..." Tomoko muttered. As long as the second-year captain was on on the court, there was no telling what other tricks he and his team will pull.

Furuhashi had possession of the ball thanks to his teammates screening Izuki, and she widened her eyes when he passed the ball to his brooding captain—he knew Kuroko was right behind and all of her teammates could see what he was about to do next.

"Watch out!" her mouth moved faster than her processing brain. She nearly had a heartattack when Hanamiya's elbows came down—luckily, it was met with empty air since as taken off-guard as Kuroko was, he moved just in time.

"H-He dodged it!" Kawahara cried and relief momentarily washed over her team. On the other hand, Hanamiya and his team were surprised.

"If only you weren't here...!"

Hanamiya was gritting his teeth with his head down, emitting both frustration and anger towards the shadow as the court froze in a standstill. Suddenly, he raised his head with a sadistic expression; he was reeling in everyone's shock.

"Just kidding, idiot! Your team's going down!" he mocked before passing Kuroko and ran towards the net.

"The only thing he does..." Tomoko's heart was pounding in her throat. The devious captain's every move was pissing her off more and more and she knew he had no means of stopping. "... is messing with everyone's emotions!"

"This is how Hanamiya plays," Teppei said, setting his large hand on top of Tomoko's seething head. She relaxed under his touch, but her face was still scrunched in an annoyed way. "Despite his underhanded ways, Hanamiya is an exceptional player."

Tomoko pouted, "I don't see how..." Just as she said that, Hanamiya jumped incredibly early due to Mitobe and Hyuuga ganging up on him before he could reach the net. It didn't look like he would make it because of the early jump, but he surprised her when he rotated his hand from a layup to a teardrop.

The scoreboard buzzed with the new score; 69 to 70 in Kirisaki Daiichi's favor, and there was only 44 seconds left to the game.

"His talent doesn't only involve stealing the ball, and he doesn't need to play aggressively to score," Teppei explained to the stricken girl. "He can actually score whenever he wants."

"If I win, either way, it's game over for your dreams." She heard Hanamiya flaunt when he was near Kuroko again. "It'll be the end of your disgusting little game of friendship, too."

He mocks people to add salt to injury, Tomoko thought with a deep frown. The only thing that's disgusting is the way he's treating his opponents...!

"Don't be ridiculous."

Kuroko was furious if the tone of his voice was any indication. The blue haired shadow rarely expressed his anger with this much verbal force—Hanamiya really drew it out of him and he was prepared to fight with everything he's got. The shady captain's eyes widened as the air around them shifted.

"I chose to fight because I thought the Generation of Miracles' basketball was wrong. But they'd never do anything underhanded like you," he gritted out as his mind flashed to everyone on the Seirin team. "With your style, don't get in the way of our, of the seniors'—of everyone's—dreams!"

Hanamiya couldn't react when the ball shot past inches from his face; the force almost imitated a brewing storm, and like a tornado, the ball curved upwards towards the hoop.

"Jam it in, Kagami!" Teppei stood from his seat and shouted as the redhead jumped to reach the ball. The message was heard loud and clear, and within seconds, the ball came down the basket with a deafening slam.

The rest was history.

"Another comeback!" Fukuda shouted along his teammates as the time ticked away with each score.

"Amazing!"

76 to 70.

"That's..." Tomoko blinked away all of the negative feelings within her and jumped up as the final buzzer finally rang throughout the court. "We did it!" she and the rest ran towards her cheering teammates.

"We're going to the Winter Cup!" Kagami shouted as Tomoko glumped him. "Y-Yah!"

"We're going to the Winter Cup!" Tomoko repeated with a grin. Blinking at her, the redhead grumbled a few things under his breath and finally hugged back. It only lasted a few seconds but it made Tomoko almost burst with happiness even as she was pushed away just as quickly towards Kuroko.

"Tomoko-san..." Kuroko, unlike Kagami, didn't protest as she wrapped her arms around him. He openly enjoyed it, in fact. Since the girl's return towards the second half of the game, he hadn't been able to properly talk to her because of the situation at hand. But now, all he wanted to do was stay like this for a little longer.

"I'm so happy you didn't get hurt."

Kuroko smiled as he heard that in the midst of loud cheers. "Yeah," he said softly as he hugged her back. She was always so caring and selfless it made his heart ache. Little did the girl know, he was more relieved that she came back safe and sound from Hanamiya's devious plan. "Me too."

Next to them, Hyuuga stared at Teppei for a while before stubbornly lifting up his hand for the smiling center. Their resounding clap made the entire team swell with happiness.

I think this is the first time I've seen them do that, Tomoko mused silently when she saw Riko weld up in tears. But I have a feeling it won't be the last.

"I lost, Seirin."

Hanamiya suddenly came up to the celebrating team. His dark bangs hid the defeated look on his face. Even so, Tomoko regarded him suspiciously when he address her senior and she moved over towards them.

"And Kiyoshi... I'm sorry for everything..."

"...'Just kidding', right?" she finished boldly before the captain could. He raised his head with a shocked glare at her direction. Oppositely, her own expression was calm. "It doesn't feel so good when it happens to you, does it, Hanamiya-san?"

Hanamiya gritted his teeth and an angry scowl crawled to his lips. "As if I care! Idiots! You're the first ones to ruin my plans this badly... I'll make you regret it for the rest of your lives. Next time, I'll crush you!"

"Hanamiya..." Teppei addressed the furious captain, making him the target of the aggressive glare. He only smiled. "The last shot you made... I thought it was amazing. Let's play again."

The Kirisaki Daiichi captain scowled with disbelief. Whether the brunette was playing with him or just stupidly kind—he knew it was the latter—it was still a low blow to his ego. It made him look absolutely ridiculous! "You're all ridiculous... Damn it. Damn it!" he shouted.

His team could only sigh at the defeat and tried to calm their captain down.


"Seirin made it," Kasamatsu commented as he looked at the opposite court where Shutoku and Senshinkan was playing. Their game hasn't finished yet, but it was obvious who the winner would be. "With this lineup, this year's Winter Cup is going to be the most intense one yet."

Every one of the Generation of Miracles, including the phantom sixth man, is going to be participating.

Usually, Kise would be ecstatic after Seirin's win, but right now, he couldn't get the image of his former teammate and the Seirin manager hugging so intimately without something akin to annoyance bubble in the pit of his stomach. Sure, he's seen the girl hug all of her teammates numerous times indiscriminately, but he realized the phantom sixth man's feelings, just like the rest of his former teammates', held more than just camaraderie.

Although Kise genuinely liked Kuroko and respected him greatly, this was something he won't give up to anyone.

"Kuroko-cchi..."

Kasamatsu turned towards the blonde with a questioning stare, but he immediately understood and scoffed. "Save your determination for our match against them. They're going to be even stronger so you better come to every practice or I'll hit you!" he threatened with his fist. Kise immediately reverted back to his old self and cowered behind Moriyama.

"You're so mean, senpai!"


"Tetsu-kun looks so happy," Momoi sighed contently as she looked down at the celebrating team. She couldn't remember the last time her former team showed this much excitement when they won a match... Victories were expected, after all, and she knew it always made Kuroko upset when no one had fun playing. "Kuma-chan's so lucky! I wish I can go down and hug Tetsu-kun, too," she pouted with envy as Aomine stood up from his seat next to her and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Aomine-kun?" she pulled at the male's sleeve. "Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving," he said with his back facing her.

"Leaving? But Shutoku's game isn't over yet!" Momoi pouted. Aomine waved her fingers off before leaving.

"He's not going to lose. Besides, they're all just taking their time... I'm sick of waiting."

As Momoi went after Aomine, the rest of the Touou team stayed until the other court finally declared the winner. Shutoku was advancing to the Winter Cup with Seirin. Satisfied with the results, though it was already expected, Imayoshi walked out as well.

"I thought Aomine-san looked pissed off," Sakurai commented out of the blue as the team walked down the hall. "But then I saw him smile at the end."

"Well, considering the meaning of today's results..." Imayoshi let out a laugh as the first-year wondered at the meaning with confusion. "I'm starting to get excited, too."

It's a frightening thought, but...

Imayoshi grinned knowing that whether it was Seirin or the phantom sixth man, or the prodigies and their team members, they all have the same thought in mind.

It'll be an all-out war this winter.

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twenty-nine

we're not scared

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Following the grueling championship match with Kirisaki Daiichi, the members of the Seirin basketball team sat in their classes the next week with high spirits but sore bodies. Despite the hype of the upcoming Winter Cup, it doesn't stop the functioning of classes—a fact all of the players dreaded because following quickly behind their mid-terms was the final second-semester exams.

Since the team brackets won't be released until December, all of the participating schools have a a little leeway to focus in school and continue practice for a whole month.

"We shouldn't be relaxing just because our place in the Winter Cup is secured," Riko announced to the team as they filed into the gymnasium for practice after the last period bell had rung. "But, seeing that you guys have worked so hard to get this far and considering Teppei's knee injury, we'll take it easy today."

"C-Could it be?! Our prayers have been heard!" Koganei cried as he and the three first-years skipped around with blissful expressions. Similarly, Izuki's eyes shone with stars.

"We've been blessed with a holiday... It's a holyday!"

"Don't get too carried away!" Riko's brows ticked at the team's over-enthusiasm and her fist itched to connect with their heads. "It's only one day! Then it's back to practice!"

Needless to say, their groans followed right after. It was then Tomoko stepped into the gym with a giant grin plastered on her face.

"How about we go to the hot springs this weekend, then?"

"Hot springs?!" the team yelled excitedly.

"A fantastic idea, Okuma-chan!" Teppei praised, his mind already floating to the comfort of relaxing his body in an old-fashioned spring. Riko often told him that he sounded like an old man, and she wasn't wrong. "Let's all go!" his warm brown eyes glinted eagerly.

The coach could only sigh with exasperated defeat. "We'll have to find somewhere cheap. The club isn't exactly loaded with funds, you know..."

"Actually," Tomoko piped up while waving the stack of rectangular tickets between her fingers. "I have overnight stay tickets for a hot springs inn!"

"Woah!" Koganei eyed the tickets impressively with his cat-like grin as the rest crowded around the girl as well. "You're awesome, Okuma-chan! We're not worthy to have you as our manager, but I'm so glad you are!"

"She's the best manager ever!"

As Tomoko basked in the compliments with sheepish grins, Riko went ahead and read the specifics of the tickets. The inn, Kappa Tengoku, was a relatively short ride from Tokyo to Yumoto. She counted the tickets—a whooping fifteen in total—and it was more than enough for the entire basketball team. Now that she looked at it again, she found that the location was pretty convenient...

"Okuma-chan," Riko asked curiously. "How did you get these tickets?"

"I won them~!" Tomoko replied with a thoughtful pout. "I spun the Garapon (lottery wheel) in the supermarket trying to win fifth prize—it was a bag of 20 steaming pork buns! However, I only got the first prize."

...Only?! the team chorused in their heads with alarm. Sometimes, they didn't get their caramel haired manager.

"Huh. The bag of pork buns sounded more appealing..." Kagami remarked more to himself than to anyone else, but everyone heard him, including Tomoko and she giggled.

"You think so too? Maybe I should've traded it in..."

The whole team aimed their murderous glare at the redhead.

"Shut your mouth, Bakagami!"


The only thing that could be heard was the soft ripples of spring water and the content sighs from the Seirin basketball team as they settled themselves in the inn's outdoor hot spring.

"Kagami-kun, you shouldn't let your towel touch the water," Kuroko moved his gaze to his right when he heard air bubbles leaving the redhead's submerged white towel. Kagami hummed a reply and lifted up the towel.

"Ah, viva-non~" Koganei mumbled, thoroughly enjoying the therapeutic feeling of his muscles relaxing. The same could be said for the other seniors, though they had no idea what the cat-like teen had said.

"What's 'viva-non'?" Teppei asked with genuine interest.

"Who cares? Idiots," Hyuuga said as he leaned back towards the stone-lined edge. His remark lacked the usual bite, which Izuki noticed and pointed out, but he merely shrugged and relaxed even more. "Of course. We're at the hot springs."

"This feels so nice," Teppei had a pleasant smile on his face and Tsuchida nodded.

"Yeah, going to the hot springs to refresh ourselves was a great idea."

"Tomorrow we're going right back to practice," Hyuuga reminded in a low mumble, sinking lower into the water until his chin touched the warm water. "Don't lose focus."

"I know," the brunette center replied for the team. Everyone was relaxed and happy—Koganei being a little overboard with his happiness as he was demonstrating the butterfly stroke for his teammates. It was a good thing that they were the only ones using the bath at this time.

The other three first-years wrapped towels around their waists when they got up, and Furihata pointed to the smaller pool at the corner for them to try out. Hyuuga saw them and suddenly stood up with all his naked glory, an accusing finger was pointing at the first-years.

"You guys! Don't tastelessly wear your towels around your waists," he reprimanded, turning his focus over to the standing redhead for example. "Look at Kagami. His towel is casually slung over his shoulder. His dashing standing figure. His swim trunks... What?! Swim trunks?!"

"Huh?" Kagami looked over with surprise before looking down at his blue trunks. "Oh, I've never been to hot springs before. Am I not suppose to wear them?"

Hyuuga almost sighed away five years of his life. "Kids from abroad..." he muttered before walking over to sit at the stools by the washing station. He pointed to his back, "Well then. Underclassmen wash their senior's backs."

"Seriously?" Kagami blinked and Izuki snorted.

"You just want to make him do it."

Shrugging, the redhead complied and grabbed the nearest tool he could find. "Like this?" he asked as he used both hands to swipe the tool down Hyuuga's back. He didn't understand why the captain suddenly fell to the ground with a pained look on his face. "Huh? How'd that happen?" he asked with confusion as he looked at the thick-bristled brush in his hand.

"What's wrong with you?! That brush is for cleaning the floor!" The point guard shouted with pure shock as Hyuuga barely managed to get back up. His back was bright red.

"I thought he was going to kill me..." Hyuuga muttered before his eyes bulged at another disbelieving sight. Kuroko was covered head to toe with soap suds as he washed Number 2, and both of them looked like a pile of marshmallows. "Wh-What is this?! I don't know where to start!"

"The owners said we could wash Number 2," Teppei replied good naturedly as he sat on top of a rock before Hyuuga was knocked to the ground once again, courtesy of Kagami using another brush on him.

"Hyuuga?!" Izuki cried as he stared at the redhead with even more disbelief. "Kagami, what are you—?!"

"I thought I'd try again," Kagami blinked down at the new brush. "Is this not for washing either?"

"You think?!"


"Okuma-chan, you're not going in?" Riko asked when she nearly collided with the caramel haired manager as she was about to step into the girl's' changing room. Tomoko shook her head.

"I forgot my towel, so I'm going to the front desk to check one out."

"Alright," Riko smiled and left the girl on her way. "I'll be in the springs then!"

She took a step in the changing room but stopped when noises from the boy's side traveled to her ears. Raising a brow, she wondered what the guys were doing that was making such a loud ruckus.


Meanwhile, Tomoko headed up to the front desk where an old woman wearing a traditional kimono was sipping a cup of tea.

The old woman looked up, "Are you the last guest?" she asked, confusing the girl for a second before she slowly shook her head in apology. "Ah, my apologies, I thought you were with the group that just checked in. What is it that you need, ojou-san?"

"I'd like to check out another towel," Tomoko said.

"Right away."

As the old woman went to the back room to retrieve the towel, Tomoko was left to her own devices. She noticed the pile of pamphlets stacked neatly at the corner and picked on up. It was a general guide about the inn and its hot springs, but at the bottom of the last page, there was a small section on the urban legend of the inn.

"Nishi no onna?" she read out loud just as the owner came back with the towel.

"Ah, that's the legend of the woman who drowned here in the 1700s," the old woman explained. "It was said that there was a young woman who used to live in this very location, long ago. Our hot springs are built on top of the well that she fell and drowned in."

"R-Really?" Tomoko widened her salmon eyes as the woman continued on.

"Rumors say the drowned woman's angry spirit still lingers here. She would roam around the halls with her long, wet black hair over her face, dripping with water, and if she catches you alone... She'll..."

Tomoko felt her forehead sweat and her heartbeat quicken. "She'll...?"

"She'll grab you on the shoulder with her wet, clammy hand and suck out your soul," the woman finished with a sip of her tea. She gave a toothy smile when she saw that Tomoko was nearly shaking with fear and handed her the towel. "Or so it's said. Don't worry ojou-san, it's a complete myth."

Letting out a relieved breath she didn't know she was holding, the salmon eyed girl took the towel thanked the owner. It's not real, she thought as she walked down the empty corridor cautiously. It's only made up—

A hand suddenly clamped down on her shoulder and she screamed.


"Huh? Did you hear that?"

Mitobe turned away from the tall fence when Hyuuga voiced out the question on top of his shoulder after hearing something like a muffled cry. The captain, along with Koganei (who was sitting on top of a clueless Kagami's shoulder) was shamelessly trying to peek over the tall wooden barrier to the girl's section. There was apparently a group of college girls on the other side, and being guys at a hot spring, it would be breaking stereotypical tradition to not steal a look.

"Hyuuga! I can't believe you're going along with this!" Izuki accused, having not heard anything besides the captain and Koganei's complaints about not being tall enough.

"Idiot!" Hyuuga shushed the point guard since his voice was raised too high. "You should be lucky you have your Eagle Eye!"

"It doesn't work like that!"

Teppei, chilling at his corner of the spring with Tsuchida, gave the whole situation a disapproving frown. "Riko would kill you if she were here," he pointed out straightforwardly.

"Not you too, Kiyo—" Izuki was going to yell, but he quickly realized that the brunette was on his side and he froze at his words. He wondered if his teammates were all wishing for death. "Y-You're right!"

"Um..."

He turned to a red-faced Kuroko. The boy wasn't blushing because of the the thought of naked college girls, but rather, it was because of the heat of the hot spring. "Kuroko! Get out of the bath! Kagami, go with him."

"Ah! Our peeking specialist disappeared!" Hyuuga and Koganei complained.

"His misdirection doesn't work like that either!" Izuki twitched, yet they didn't bother to pay attention to him. They continued on with their peeping business, and they even rounded up the other first-years to participate in their risque intentions!

"A hole! I found a hole!" Fukuda suddenly shouted, drawing their attention the opening at the corner of the fence.

This team is hopeless... The Eagle Eye user sagged and completely gave up. No one was even listening to him! Koganei wrapped an arm across his shoulders and grinned.

"C'mon, you don't dislike this, do you? And Tsucchi too! Aren't you guys curious?"

"Huh? I..." Tsuchida smiled nervously. He hasn't told the team this, but he actually has a girlfriend and she would be less than thrilled if he went to peek at other girls...

"Damn it, the hedge is in the way!"

"Wait, they're coming over!"

"Move the bucket! Move the bucket!"

Crowding around the peephole, Hyuuga and the others were still struggling to see the other side. They were too busy to realize that their lives were about to be cut extremely short by a certain short haired coach who happened to wander in after hearing all the commotion.

"You seem to be having fun. Let me join you," her sickly sweet voice reached their ears and they robotically turned their heads towards a smiling Riko. "What are you boys doing?"

"C-C-Coach..." they stuttered. Shit shit shit shit shit...!

"I thought that you were making a lot of noise," her smile never left her face; if anything, it grew even sweeter. "All if you, clench your teeth."


Tomoko ripped herself away from the unknown hand before running behind a tall potted plant. She was shaking with tears in her eyes. "I'm s-sorry, Ghost-san! I d-don't want to die!" she wailed.

"Ghost?! S-Shit, get this thing off me!"

Her terror was momentarily cut short when she heard a familiar masculine voice shout. Braving a look, she peeked over behind the giant green leaves. Someone—very human—was waving around his arms as he tried to get the towel that she had thrown over her shoulders when she panicked. It was almost amazing how tangled up the towel was around the male's upper body and head.

Tomoko crawled out of her hiding spot and tried to help the male. "L-Let me..." when her hand touched the edge of the towel, which happened to be where the male's arm was tangled up in, he let out a strangled yell.

"I-I-I'm so s-sorry for everything! Gods, please dispel the evil!"

Could this be...? She yanked the towel off of the male with a pounding heart. Aomine-kun!?

"You're not a ghost!" She and him shouted at the same time before both raising their eyebrows. "Of course I'm not!"

A minute of silent disbelief passed by before Aomine spoke up first. "Why the hell did you scream?!" he said with an exasperated scowl. He nearly had his soul scared out of him!

"I thought you were the drowned woman's angry spirit," Tomoko explained while mirroring the tanned miracle's scowl. "The old woman at the front desk had just told me about the myth when you decided to sneak up on me! I thought I was going to die for sure..."

"There's no such thing as ghosts," he deadpanned. "It's stupid to believe in myths!"

Tomoko's cheeks pinkened at his incredulous response before she puffed them up childishly. "You freaked out more than I did," she muttered. Aomine grew embarrassed as well but he immediately tried to dismiss her accusation with a click of his tongue.

"I did not! You just surprised me!"

"Hmph, sure. The mighty Aomine Daiki is afraid of ghosts!"

"You're the one who was crying 'cause you thought I was some drowned woman!"

They exchanged heated glares; neither side wanted to admit that they were spooked by each other. However, their brave front quickly disintegrated when sourceless knocks and bangs traveled down the corridor.

"What..." Aomine trailed off as he widened his eyes.

"...Was that?" Tomoko finished with a squeak.

The muffled, pained howls that followed was the only cue the two needed before getting the hell out of there.


Teppei could only watch with astonishment as Riko methodically took care of the other players, even the unlucky ones who didn't even peek (except himself, thankfully). After a minute of cries and wails, Riko stormed out with a huff and things went back back to normal.

Rather... As normal as it could get after their well-deserved punishment.

"...We shouldn't have peeped," Hyuuga brooded with half of his face underwater. Like the rest of the guys, his cheek was sporting a glaring red fistprint.

"Of course not. What have I been telling you this entire time?" Izuki scoffed as he nursed his own cheek. I got hit and I didn't even do it!

A laugh rang throughout the hot spring and made the Seirin players look over to the other side with surprise. The thick steam parted and revealed a group of familiar males.

"Touou Academy?!"

"You're as lively as ever," Imayoshi greeted good naturedly as Seirin stared at his team with shock and suspicion. "What's with the skeptical faces? We just happened to be practicing in the area, then we just happened to decide to relax in the hot springs, and you just happened to be here."

"I somehow doubt that this is all a coincidence," Hyuuga said, and the other captain waved his hand dismissively.

"We're both representing Tokyo—let's at least get along while we bathe. Ah, I know, why don't we have a friendly contest to get rid of this tension?" Imayoshi asked with his thick Kansai accent. It wasn't fooling anyone; despite the polite speech, the Touou captain was as devious as his fox-like expression let on. He was like Hanamiya in a way, sans the dirty plays. He pointed to the small wooden room in the corner, "The first team with all of their players forfeiting from the heat has to pay for drinks."

"A sauna competition?" Izuki questioned with a quirked brow. Imayoshi grinned.

"Why not? That way we can all sit down and have a nice talk."


Riko had marched to the girl's side and quickly stripped off her clothing before sinking herself into the water. Sighing, she splashed some warm water on her neck.

"Unbelievable..." she muttered before relaxing into the spring. Boys are the worst.

While she settled with some annoyance still clouding her mind, she barely heard another pair of footsteps coming her way until the person came up next to her. "Mind if I sit next to you?" the girl asked softly, and Riko merely nodded.

"Sure, go ahead."

"Thanks."

The girl dipped one foot at a time into the water and sat down. It was only when Riko turned to look at the girl did she realize who it was.

"Aw, I thought Kuma-chan would be here too... But anyway... This feels so goooooood~ My shoulders have been so stiff lately," Momoi sighed happily before looking at the pouting coach teasingly. "You don't seem like you'd have that problem. I'm jealous."

"S-Shut up!" Riko twitched as she covered her chest with offense. What's she doing here? Actually... Her analytic eyes scanned over the pink haired manager's more supple bosom and sunk lower into the water with frustrated envy. She's huge!

Really, the world just wasn't fair to her. Chest-wise.

"Oh, right," Momoi perked up suddenly and smiled. "I want to tell you about Winter Cup's first round match-up. I like Tetsu-kun, and that's why I won't hold back this time. It's too bad you'll be out after the first day, though, because..."


It was dark.

Everything on the other side of the sliding door was quiet; not a peep could be heard except for shallow breathing and a pounding heart... Hearts. Tomoko and Aomine had ended up running in the same direction and scrambled into a random opened room without a second thought.

"...Is it gone?"

Tomoko whispered out as she tightened her hold on the object she was clinging to. Aomine felt his face heat up; he didn't know if she was even aware that she was holding onto his arm, and the little bit of light that poured through the room illuminated her adorable shut-eyed expression.

She's really cute, he thought.

"Aomine-kun?"

"U-Uh, yeah, of course," Aomine coughed into his free hand, looking away before scoffing. "I already told ya there's no such thing as ghosts."

He heard Tomoko let out a sigh before the hold on his arm went away. He had to admit; it felt kind of nice to have her cling onto him... Especially since a certain asset was pushed up against him.

Heh... Watching her current expression with amusement, it made him think back to all of the different expressions that always danced across her face. Her distressed face from the day of the Kirisaki Daiichi match suddenly popped into his mind.

"Oi," his tanned features grew serious. "That day... What the bubblegum freak said really pissed me off. Care to explain what happened?" he asked as offhandedly as he could. When he didn't get a response, he looked over at the girl but was met with empty space.

What the...?

Tomoko was already a few feet away, peeking out of the slightly ajar sliding door when she twisted her head back to look at him with an expectant stare. "Did you say something?" she asked, having not heard a word he said. Aomine's eyes twitched.

She turned back towards the door, "I think someone's coming down this way..."

"Hah? This is an inn, of course there'll be people," Aomine said boredly, a bit pissed off that the caramel haired girl was ignoring him. He stood up and slid open the door. "Whatever, I'm going."

"W-Wait!" He was surprised when Tomoko hastily grabbed onto his sleeve. She looked at him sheepishly, "I might as well come with, heh heh..."

Aomine stared at her before letting out a low chuckle. "If you like me that much you could've just said so, babe," he grinned at her wolfishly, curling a finger under her chin to tilt her head up towards him. He instantly decided that he liked the bewildered expression on her face. "Do you want me to protect you from the nonexistent drowned woman?"

An embarrassed blush painted her cheeks as she unconsciously pouted and he couldn't help but think that those pink lips looked so luscious...

"What are you, a pervert?" A new voice scoffed as a heavy arm slung over Aomine's shoulders. Tomoko blinked out of her stupor.

"Taiga-chan?"

"Don't make me worry about you too, brat. Kuroko alone is enough," Kagami rolled his eyes and bopped the caramel haired manager's forehead with the bottle in his hand. He then faced the tanned miracle, who's face grew into an irritated scowl at being interrupted and pushed Kagami's arm off.

"Don't put your arm around my shoulder."

"Aomine-kun."

They all turned around to see Kuroko. He looked much better than earlier in the springs. "Agh, didn't I tell you to stay put?" Kagami scolded the blue haired male before tossing the bottle of energy drink to him. "Here's your drink."

"Thank you," Kuroko replied softly, catching the bottle.

"So, what are you doing here?" Kagami finally asked Aomine while raising his brow. "Other than harassing our manager."

"Tch. I don't have much of a reason to be here. Our captain wanted to come and greet your seniors since we practiced around the area," the miracle scoffed and leaned against the wall, unaffected by the redhead's allegation. He glanced over to Kuroko, "I saw your game. Is that the new move Satsuki mentioned?"

"Yes," Kuroko nodded as he locked eyes with Aomine. "I developed it to use against you."

"Heh, it won't work. The one that'll win the Winter Cup—"

"—is us," Kagami cut in and smirked. "You just wait."

"You're going to win, huh?"

If anything, Aomine sounded amused. He was glowing with self-confidence and he regarded the redhead cooly.

"It seems you really did open the door, but you're just standing in the entrance. You're not even close to the Generation of Miracles, nor are you even entertainment for us," he drawled. "It's too bad for you, because your first opponent in the Winter Cup..." he paused before grinning, "is me."

Wait... What?

Kagami blanched, his expression mirroring both Kuroko's and Tomoko's. "We're from the same prefecture... How can we be playing each other in the first round?"

Aomine only shrugged. "Satsuki said it's because we're in the special bracket, but it doesn't matter to me..." he stopped momentarily when he caught the fired up determination in Tomoko's eyes.

"Aomine-kun, don't forget that it's been six months since Interhigh. We've practiced and gotten stronger," she declared, "That's why..."


"Let's have a good game, ne?"

Momoi got up and bent over to look down on the brunette coach, pissing her off more. Riko narrowed her eyes.

"You're acting pretty superior, aren't you?" she scoffed and stomped up right in front of the busty girl, pushing against the girl's chest with her own. "Let me make something clear: my boys aren't that weak! Don't—"


"—underestimate us!" Hyuuga shouted in determination, his voice shaking the entire sauna. "We'll show you!"

In response to the Seirin captain's sheer willpower, Imayoshi chuckled amusingly. "Such courage," he said with a grin. "I'm not impressed, though. You sound like you think you've gotten stronger and closed the gape between us, but aren't you forgetting something?"

"Forgetting something?" Koganei echoed.

"By the way, we played against Josei at our practice match," Imayoshi added. He relished in all of the wide-eyed looks that he got and he chuckled lowly. "If I remember, you played them in the prelims. We beat them soundly 170 to 39. You should know what that means, right? Although Winter Cup is another national tournament, every team will be several degrees stronger. So while you grew...

"Don't think we haven't changed since last time."

At that, it was Hyuuga's turn to chuckle. "No one said winning was going to be easy. All we ask is for you to bring it on," he replied, standing up with the rest of his team. Imayoshi's amused grin widened at that declaration.


The bottom line is... We've all changed.

"I look forward to our next game," Tomoko told Aomine and smiled brightly. "We're gonna draw that passion out of you, so you better play us with everything you've got!"

"Heh."

Aomine grinned. Everything she says never ceases to amuse him... Alright. I've decided. He seriously liked her and her spunk. Taking a step towards the girl, he leaned down to get on eye level with her. "Passion, huh? Go on a date with me after Seirin loses and I'll show you just how much passion I have."

"E-Eh?" Tomoko's resolved look softened with the growing confusion. "What does that have to do with passion...?"

"Aomine-kun..." Kuroko said lowly, his eyes narrowing.

"Oi, don't get too carried away!" Kagami finished with a growl. He pushed the bewildered manager behind him protectively. "We won't lose. Nothing beats repaying a debt quickly." Next to him, Kuroko didn't say anything else but his expression told a different story.

That's a challenging look, Tetsu...

The tanned miracle felt his tension for the upcoming game rise. The three of them said nothing else as they stared at each other with determination. "Fine," Aomine finally said, flashing them a delighted smirk. "Bring it on."


"Are you sick, Tetsuya-kun? Your face feels warm..."

"Ah, no—"

"Let me take care of you!"

"Okay."


8.6k words... This is what happens when you try generate too much wind to sail the ships. Please leave a review~!