Manga: Kuroko no Basuke
Creator: Fujimaki Tadatoshi
Author: Cheshire
Chapter Thirty-Four: Mountain Training
~ * 'Tis the privilege of friendship to talk nonsense, and to have her nonsense respected.' * ~ Charles Lamb.
"Izuki... Slow down." Takara heaved out as she tried to keep her breathing steady, the Seirin second year slowing down a bit so she could keep up.
"Takara, are you okay?" He asked as the two continued to run, the blue haired female nodding slowly.
"Yes...!" She answered as Izuki's eyes widened, looking over her head to see Teppei and Hyuuga running in their direction.
"LOOK THERE THEY ARE!" Hyuuga shouted, Izuki immediately grabbing Takara's hand and running back through the forest.
"STOP, YOU BASTARDS!" The Seirin captain growled out and Izuki rolled his eyes in annoyance, glaring over his shoulder at his friend.
"...Tch!" He grumbled before yelling back.
"WE'RE PLAYING CATCH, SO OF COURSE WE'RE GONNA RUN!" Izuki shouted back at Hyuuga, Teppei, Koganei and Furihata right behind their captain.
"LIKE I CARE DUMBASS!" Hyuuga shouted back, Takara ducking under a few branches as she continued to run next to Izuki.
"...Erk." She mumbled, not wanting to look over her shoulder.
One hour earlier...
Walking out the hotel with his team, Hyuuga placed his hands into his pockets and yawed loudly.
"Wow, the hot spring was pretty good. My body feels so light." He said and Riko rolled her eyes with a smile, Koganei turning to look at Teppei.
"How's your knee, Kiyoshi?" He asked and the taller second year smiled.
"Oh, it's feeling pretty good." He said, Izuki hearing a paper crumple next to him. "Hyuuga, you're still holding on to that?" He questioned, noticing it was the paper that Shouichi had given them last night in the sauna.
"Of course." Hyuuga answered, looking back down at the list.
'The Winter Cup matchup. Our opponent for the first round is... Touou Academy! I thought we'd gotten pretty strong, but we were too naive... We can't waste even a single second until the match!' He thought, shoving the paper back into his pocket.
"Alright, are we all here? We'll go straight to practice when we get back!" Hyuuga announced, not noticing that Takara had appeared at his side.
"Um... Kagami's been missing since this morning." She told her captain, her hair messy and falling out of her ponytail.
"Your bed-head's still as bad as before!" Hyuuga snapped at her, blinking after he realized what she had said.
"...Wait, what?! Kagami's not here?!" He asked, Koganei looking around and not noticing the tall red red.
"Now that you mention it..." He began, Riko moving over to the three friends. "...No worries." She started, catching the team's attention.
"We'll be practicing without Kagami for a while, starting today. I'll tell you the reason later." Riko explained and Takara couldn't help but be surprised, Kagami hadn't mentioned anything the other night...
"...Eh?" She finally spoke and Riko nodded, putting her hands in her pockets and watching blankly as her team started to walk away from the hotel.
"Alright! Let's go home!" Hyuuga announced, Riko shouting after the team.
"Wait! Where do you think you're going?" She asked, the group turning back to her.
"Huh? Where...? Back to school for practice...?" Koganei said with a questioning and curious tone.
"Thankfully, there's no school today and tomorrow cause of the national holiday and school's anniversary." Riko explained, her team looking at one another in confusion. "Ah... Eh? Eh?!" They all shouted and the brunette grinned, pointing over her shoulder at a gym that no one had noticed before.
"So we'll dive right into a training camp. I already rented that public gym!" Riko said happily as she pointed at a large gym across the street from the team.
'HOW DID WE NOT NOTICE THAT?!' All the men thought in unison, Takara blinking at how she herself also missed the gym.
"Ha... I knew something was fishy when she asked us to bring some change of clothes." Izuki said as he pulled on a long sleeve shirt, Hyuuga nodding with agreement as he tied his basketball shoes.
"Ah- You guys, hold it right there." A new voice started, the Seirin team looking up with surprise.
"You don't have to change into your basketball shoes just yet." The voice continued, Riko grinning as she looked over her shoulder.
"Dad!" She greeted happily as a tall brunette man stood next to his daughter, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Coach's daddy?!" All the males shouted, Takara blinking up at him in surprise. "You have no right to call me 'Daddy'." Aida Kagetora snapped.
"Call me, Kagetora!" He ordered, watching the team stand.
"Why are you here...?"
"Don't give me that! I came here to make you guys stronger due to my beloved daughter's request." He said, all the males confused.
"Eh?!" They all shouted, Kawahara speaking up.
"That means Kagetora's going to be... Our temporary trainer?!" He explained and Kagetora chuckled.
"Therefore... Here's a small question. The bastard that tried to peep on Riko yesterday, come on out...!" He growled angrily, a gun suddenly pulled out and facing the team.
'HE PULLED OUT A GUN?!' They all thought in fear as they back away from the crazy adult. Izuki grabbing Takara, who was eyeing the gun curiously, and pulling her back behind him and Mitobe.
"No, um... We did try to peep. But it wasn't for Riko and... It was a failure in the first place... so..."
"I'LL LET YOU GO PAINLESSLY WITH A SINGLE HEADSHOT IF YOU COME ON OUT NOW, YOU DAMN BRATS! ...LISTEN CAREFULLY! I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO'S ALLOWED TO LOOK AT RIKO'S BODY!" He shouted at the team, suddenly falling forward when he was hit in the back of the head roughly by a basketball.
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Riko growled at her father, Takara watching the exchange between the family silently while the males did their best to stay out of their way.
"NO WAY...! RIKO, DIDN'T YOU SAY LONG AGO THAT YOU'LL BE DADDY'S BRIDE WHEN YOU GROW UP!"
"THAT WAS WHEN I WAS A KID!" She snapped, hitting her father again with a second basketball.
"GEEZ! STOP THE NONSENSE AND GET ON WITH IT!" She ordered and he huffed.
"But you did say you'd..." He began, his daughter shouting at him again.
"STOP IT ALREADY!" Rolling his eyes, Kagetora placed his hands on his hips and continued.
"Okay, okay. First of all, you guys... Take of your shirts." He said, all the male's jaws dropping.
'I swear something like this happened before.' They all thought, remembering their Seirin tryout.
"Uh... What about Takara?" Hyuuga questioned, slowly letting his eyes trail over to the small female.
"Of course, he's part of the team isn't- Oh." Kagetora mumbled, remembering the blue haired female with the big chest that he met before.
"Hello." Takara greeted, looking up at him with her big blue eyes.
"Shall I take off mine as well?" She asked innocently and Kagetora couldn't help the blood that squirt out of his nose.
"DAD!" Riko shouted, the older brunette using his hand to wipe the blood from his nose.
"Sorry, Riko." He said, keeping his eyes away from the smaller female.
"Uh... You wearing a tank?" He wondered and Takara blinked, slowing nodding in response.
"Good. Okay, take em off!" He ordered, the Seirin team doing as commanded.
"But you keep on your tank." He told Takara, the blue haired female standing in silence but still pulling off her sweater.
A few minutes passed and Kagetora finally finished examining all the male's chests and arms, trying not to stare at Takara more than he needed too.
"Dad." Riko warned with crossed arms as he coughed into his hand, turning his eyes away from Takara.
"Is something wrong with me?" Takara asked and Riko sighed, running her hand down her face.
'Is she really that naive?' She thought, watching the blue haired girl start to examine her arms in silence, trying to find whatever was wrong with her.
'Oh, Takara...'
"...Hmmm. Well, guess you lot are pretty good. Looks like you've been able to keep up with Riko's training since summer. Not only your stamina, but your muscles have grown in a balanced fashion too. I'll praise you for now." He said as the Seirin team all put back on their long sleeved shirts, most of the eyes watching Takara as she put hers on. Riko sighing with annoyance at the immaturity.
"Then let's split you guys into two groups." He began.
"You guys are the cops," He said, pointing at Hyuuga, Teppei, Koganei, and Furihata.
"And you are the robbers." He finished, pointing at Takara, Izuki, Mitobe and Kawahara.
"So go over on that mountain and play Cops and Robbers for 3 hours." Kagetora ordered, all their eyes widening while Takara arched a brow.
"WHAT?! So random!" They all shouted and Kagetora continued.
"After that, I'll let the losers pay only twice for the practice jogging."
"WHAAAT?!"
Normal Time...
"Dad." Riko started, watching as her father practiced dribbling with a basketball.
"Was that... A Fartlek?" She wondered and Kagetora launched at her, the brunette shrieking at his attack.
"AS EXPECTED OF RIKO-TAN, YOU KNOW SO MUCH!" He cried, his daughter punching him in the face.
"JUST GET ON WITH THE EXPLANATION!" She shouted, breathing heavily as he backed away from her
"...Well, that's pretty much it." He started.
"As I said before, everyone's doing pretty well physically." With a low chuckle, he stood up to his full height and turned his eyes away from his daughter.
"...But. they're still stiff." He said, Riko's eyes widening.
"Muscle's not all about adding more and more on. You need to have a body that can use those muscles. You need to mix those muscles into your body. The quickest way to do that is to make them run around in that mountain." He explained, the two Aida's turning to see the Seirin team reentering the gymnasium.
"We're done, sir..." The males mumbled as they moved to their coach, Kagetora seeming surprised that they were back.
"Oh. Hm. Then before we go on with the practice, I'll tell you what you guys need to master by your match next month." He said, Koganei groaning in return.
"Eh...?! Tell all the running we just did..."
"Dumbass, that was just a warm-up. Riko showed me the DVDs of your next opponent. An offensive team with a high level of individual skill that focuses solely on individual strength. They may seem like the complete opposite of you guys who focus on teamwork, but, to me, they're the ones who've got better teamwork." He told Seirin bluntly, their eyes widening in disbelief.
"...WHAT?!"
"Of course it's not like they're paying any special attention to it. They just have it. It's not about not having any solo stunts. The important thing is for every single player to aim for the basket. Teamwork comes only after that's established. You don't call simple acts of friendship 'teamwork'." Kagetora continued, all of Seirin still frozen at his words.
"For example, let's see... You, four-eyes!" He called, meaning Hyuuga.
'Four eyes...' Hyuuga thought sadly, letting Kagetora continue on.
"You tried to pass through with a dribble during your last Touou match, didn't you?" He asked, the captain nodding.
"...Yes."
"That was a dumb move."
"What?!"
"What were you thinking? Going against a national-level opponent with your weakest weapon? Aren't you all about using long-distance shots?" He demanded, Hyuuga glancing away.
"That cuticle pretty-boy and meow-boy seem to be able to shot 3-pointers too, but only being able to shoot isn't a weapon." He said, speaking about both Izuki and Koganei who twitched with annoyance.
'Cuticle pretty-boy?'
'Meow-boy?!'
"Moreover, during the recent match against Kirisaki Daiichi, too. If you had made those long shots from the very beginning, you guys would've won much more easily. Be more self-conscious that you're Seirin's lifeline." The brunette man said, Hyuuga slowly nodding with realization at his true words.
"Be able to shoot by yourself without relying on screens." He finished, tossing the ball at Izuki.
"Wait, but... How...?!" Hyuuga questioned.
"I was dribbling because I can't..."
"...I'll show you."
"...Eh?"
"Hey, pretty-boy." Kagetora called, Izuki twitching.
"Give me a pass."
"Whaaat?! Kagetora-san?" Fukuda started.
"Eh?! He can play basketball?!" Kawahara finished with surprise, hearing Teppei chuckling behind him.
"...It's not simply that he can play. He is a player... Who was a member of Japan's National team." Teppei said, the trio of freshmen all turning pale with the news and Takara couldn't help but stare at Kagetora with awe as he started to play against Hyuuga on the court.
Pulling the ball out of Hyuuga's reach, Kagetora jumped back four feet and prepared for a shot, Hyuuga's eyes widening.
"WHAT...?!" He shouted, trying to stop him from shooting.
'So far?! Why?! How did he just...' Hyuuga thought, being too slow to block Kagetora taking a shot and scoring the first point.
"...Well, it's something like that. Just so you know, that wasn't about speed. It's a skill that even you can do. Teamwork starts to truly shine... only when well-established individual strengths are gathered. I'll make sure that each one of you will develop your own weapons by the winter cup. In other words, they'll be your special moves. The foundations are already set, and it seems like a few of you already have some understanding from the summer training camp. For the next one month till the winter cup, I'll train you guys as much as possible for a bloody bargain price of nothing." Kagetora told the team with a smirk, Seirin unsure of what exactly to say.
"THA- THANK YOU SO MUCH!" The males all finally shouted out, Takara humming in thought.
"That's all good and all, but..." She started softly, Koganei looking down at her.
"Eh? ...Ah! That's right." He began, rubbing the back of his head.
"What about Kagami...?!" He asked and Takara looked at the floor, her blue orbs filling with wonder about where he light had gone...
"Ah. About that..." Riko started, her whole team looking at her in curiosity.
"American Airline - AA170. Flight to Los Angeles. Passengers, please proceed to Gate No. 5." A lady spoke, people hurrying through the halls of the airport to get to their flight gates. In the middle of all the commotion, a familiar tall red head made his way through, a smirk on his lips as he adjusted the headphones around his neck.
"Alright... Guess it's time to head back to good ol' America!"
"A- AMERICA?!" They shouted, Riko nodding with a slight frown on her lips. "Our school has a short-term study abroad policy, and apparently the location of our sister school for the study abroad is Kagami's old home, L.A. According to him, in L.A there's a 'master' who taught him basketball." She explained, Takara's eyes wide with the news. "Ma... Master?! Wait, how come I'm hearing this now?!" Hyuuga demanded, angry that is player vanished without warning.
"I learned it just last night too." Riko said, staring over at Takara and suddenly reaching out to grip the top of her head.
"Seriously, why do this year's freshmen keep on appearing and disappearing all the time? It feels like they're messing with us. Don't you agree~?" She demanded of Takara with a dark grin, the blue haired female sweating nervously at the brunette's hidden rage.
"Why m- Ou- Ouch. Ah... Sorry." She mumbled in pain, the males wanting to help but scared to get in their coach's ray of dark aura.
"...Geez." Hyuuga sighed.
"Can't be helped. Well, as long as he comes back stronger, we've got no problem." The Seirin captain said, but Takara still couldn't help but feel the tinge of pain in her heart.
'...Why didn't he tell me?'
Two weeks had passed and the Seirin team were still working with Kagetora up in the mountains. The brunette called them back to the gymnasium and was quick to send them back into the wilderness.
"Alright! Then go and play cops and robbers. The losers will double their muscle training." He said, the team nodding in response.
"YES SIR!" They all answered, running out of the gym to play the strange game the older brunette enjoyed so much.
"How are they, dad?" Riko asked as she entered the gym, carrying a small bag of groceries with her.
"RIKO-TAN, YOU LOOK EVEN CUTER TODA- PFF!" Kagetora began as he launched at his daughter, stopping when he first landed in between his eyes.
"I DON'T NEED THAT!" She shouted, her father backing away to rub his nose.
"However they are... They've got no choice but to do what they've got to do. Basic stamina reinforcement on Saturdays, and individual skill training at school on weekdays. How much further they can go in the next half month is all up to them." He told Riko, the brunette placing her hands on her hips with an arched brow.
"Putting stamina aside, is it really possible for them to develop their own special moves in just less than a month?" She wondered.
"It will be impossible for the first years, but the second years... They'll be able to do it. Airhead ditzy-boy already has his own style (Teppei), and he's got talent too. Glasses boy (Hyuuga) and pretty-boy (Izuki) also seem to have reached an answer of their own, and they are basically correct, so all that's left is the finished touch. The remaining three (Mitobe, Koganei, Tsuchida) will get something shaped up by the end, too." He explained, Riko humming in thought.
"...? How about Takara?"
"... Sorry, but as for her... I give up."
"Eh?"
"I've never seen such a player in my life. She's absolutely an extreme outlier." He said with a sigh, reaching up to rub the back of his head.
"It's an embarrassing thing to say, but I really have no clue what or how I'm suppose to teach her. But, well... I did give her some advice." To his, Riko's ears perked.
"I told her about the wall she'll most likely face... In the near future. How she'll overcome that, is all up to her." He explained to his daughter, Riko unsure of what to say in response.
'...Takara...'
Los Angeles
"Haha, what's up, Taiga?" Someone asked with a laugh, watching as his friend was leaning over his knees taking deep breaths.
"You givin' up already?" He wondered aloud and the red head couldn't hep but chuckle.
"Shut up! I'm getting the hang o it!" Kagami said as he stood up, holding the basketball at his hip and wiping the sweat from his face.
"One more time!"
Kaijou
With an amused expression, Kasamatsu stopped in front of the basket and passed the ball to his left, Kise immediately grabbing it in the air and dunking it with force.
"Hm. Kise's in quite a spirit!" Moriyama commented as Hayakawa growled and pointed a finger at his teammate as they watched the practice match.
"Ey bastard! If you dunk, I can't get the rebound!" He shouted, Kise ignoring his calls and looking back at his opponent with fire dancing in his eyes.
Shuutoku
"HERE I GO!" Takao called happily as he ran at Miyaji, stopping at the perfect moment and tossing it to his left with no sense of it's course.
"WHAAT?!" The blonde and Otsubo called out as the ball soared into Midorima's hands, the green haired first year taking the shot over Kimura's head and scoring without a problem. When the ball hit the floor, Takao jumped up with a large grin as Midorima took a few deep breaths, his eyes not leaving the basket.
Yosen
"WHOA?!" One of the Yosen players shouted with surprise as Murasakibara easily slapped the ball out of his hands as he tried to shot the ball.
"Oooh! Amazing Murasakibara!" A few called from the sidelines, the tall first year putting his hands in his pockets and moved off the court.
"I'm tired..." He said with a sigh as he neared Tatsuya, the black haired second year chuckling.
"Atsushi's really a strange case... Even though you always complain, you're always the most passionate during practice." He said, the purple haired teen turning away to rub the sweat off his face.
"...I hate practice. But I hate losing even more. That's all."
Rakuzan
"Akashi." Reo called over to his captain, the red head turning to catch a towel that was tossed his way by the second year.
"Here, towel." Reo said and Akashi nodded, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Thanks." He said, moving across the weight room to his bag.
"Geez, he's training so hard even though he's already a genius..." Reo said as he put his hands in his pockets, a third year staring over at him with un-amusement.
"Is that what you call 'craving for victory'?"
"No... It's not something weak like that." The third year said, Reo humming as he looked at his teammate.
"It's not about doing something in order to win. He told me before that... 'Winning is the same thing as breathing'. For him, victory isn't something to be sought, but... something that is just a matter of course in life. It's no different from one's basic needs." He finished, Reo arching his brow.
"And how would you know, Chihiro?" He wondered and the third hear turned his head, leaving Reo to scoff at his departure.
Touou
Practice for Touou high had finished and Aomine had changed back into his school uniform, standing the in the outside basketball courts. With little thought, he spun his basketball on his finger and easily tossed it up toward one of the baskets, watching with dark eyes as it spun one before falling through the net.
Riko and her father let the team go for the evening and Takara headed home alone, trying to get away from her team before any of them could offer to walk her since Kagami had... left for America. Entering her house, No. 2 barked happily at his owner's return, the blue haired girl taking off her shoes and smiling softly as she bent down to pick up the husky pup.
"Miss me?" She questioned softly and he barked one again, allowing himself to be carried down the hall and into the living room where she set him on the couch. Waiting for her return, he obediently sat and wagged tail as he watched her prepare the kettle and take off her coat. Returning to the couch, she allowed No. 2 to crawl into her lap so she could scratch behind his ears. After minutes of silence, No. 2 could tell that his master wasn't herself and looked up at her with a whine.
"It's alright boy, I'm fine." She answered as if reading his mind.
"Just a lot on my mind." With another soft whimper, he brought his face back down to her lap and she sighed, leaning back on the pillow on her couch. Why hadn't he told her he was going to America? Why was it such a secret? And he had told Riko... But not his own shadow... Shaking her head of the thoughts, she couldn't help but allow her eyes to stop on an old picture that she usually had face down...
Takara couldn't help as her breath hitched in her throat at the sight of the picture, when had she put it back up...? With a shaky hand, the blue haired female reached over to the couch table and lifted up the picture, No. 2 looking up with curiosity. Within the brown frame were two child who seemed to be around ten years old, a boy and girl. The girl resembled a younger looking Takara with pigtails and a large grin on her face as she rested on the other boy's back. The boy had shaggy brown hair and was laughing as he held the giggling Takara on her back, the basketball court she recently practiced at in the background.
"...Shige..." She muttered as she traced her forefinger across the glass of the picture. They had been so young... so innocent to the world around them, and how their futures would end up...With a heavy sigh, Takara turned her eyes away from the photo and tossed it to the other side of the couch, No. 2's eyes following it as it flew. With a bark, he hopped off his master's lap and ran over to the picture, picking it up in his mouth and turning back to walk to Takara.
"..." Takara couldn't help but he touched at her puppies' move, but she knew she had to keep her eyes away from the picture. Taking it from his jaw, she scratched the bottom of his chin and placed it back on the table, face down.
"Let's get you a snack." She said and he barked happily, jumping off the couch and racing to the kitchen where he knew his treats would be. With a small smile, Takara slid off her couch and followed No. 2 to the bottom cabinet where his treats sat. But what she didn't know is that on the other side of town, a similar situation was playing out...
"...Damn it." A young man swore as he looked at a picture he had forgotten about, trying to forget the bright blue eyes that stared back at him. The brunette groaned and tossed the picture across the room, watching as it shattered once it hit the wall.
"Shige? Shige, is everything alright?" A woman's voice called from outside his door, knocking lightly to get a response.
"Shige?" She called again and the brunette turned to the door, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself.
"I'm fine, mom. A picture frame just fell from my dresser." He said as he ran his hand through his hair, looking down at the broken picture.
"Oh, alright honey. I'll buy you another one when I'm out. Be careful cleaning it, okay?" Without responding, Shigehiro Ogiwara heard his mother's footsteps leaving the hall and he groaned, walking over to the broken picture frame. Slowly, he reached down and picked the picture up from in between the broken glass pieces, looking at it a second time with less anger than before. So much time had passed since the photo was taken, and so much had happened...
"Damn it, Hoseki..." Shige muttered as he gently set the photo on his nightstand, leaving his room to go find a broom and dust pan. The wind coming in from his window gently blowing the corners of the two children, one with shaggy hair and the other with two blue pigtails...
"...You're serious?" Takara said into her phone as she dressed for the day, pulling on a pair of gray sweats and a blue tank over her black sports bra.
"When am I not serious?" The voice questioned smugly and Takara couldn't help but roll her eyes as she put her hair up into a high ponytail, her phone resting between her ear and shoulder.
"Shouldn't you be practicing?" She wondered as she curled her hair into a bun, hearing a groan in return.
"You know I hate to practice." He told her bluntly and she sighed, walking out of her room and down the stairs with No. 2 at her heels.
"Well I'm going to work out at the gym right now. You're welcome to come by if you please, but don't get in trouble with your team." Takara said and when she heard a huff in return, she shut her phone and continued on with her morning routine.
"Come on, No. 2. Let's put your leash on." She called, the small pup barking in response.
"Where are we going?" Tatsuya asked with curiosity as he followed his tall friend through town, hands resting in his pockets to keep warm.
"To the gym." Murasaskibara said and the second year chuckled, knowing he wouldn't get an answer until they arrived at their destination.
"I didn't know you were one for a gym." He joked, the first year scoffing.
"I hate practice and I hate working out. You know that." He said and Tatsuya chuckled again, the two walking in the gym and enjoying the wave of heat that hit them as they entered.
"This way." Murasakibara called as he went down the first hall on the left, Tatsuya raising a brow when he saw 'Gymnastics' on the top of the doorframe.
'Gymnastics?' He thought as he followed his friend, noticing the tall male had stopped at the end and seemed to be watching something. Curious, Tatsuya stepped next to his friend and felt his eye widen when he saw the 'someone' Murasakibara was watching. On one of the large blue mats within the room, Kuroko Takara was performing multiple back handsprings across the mat, finishing up her sixth and ending with three flips in the air, landing gracefully on her feet and throwing her arms in the air in the ending routine position. With heavy breaths, the blue haired female wiped the sweat from her forehead and moved to the benches that held her gym bag and water bottles.
"...Kuroko Takara?" Tatsuya muttered with surprise and Murasakibara nodded, blowing a bubble with the gum he just put in his mouth.
"That was... Whoa..." Tatsuya mumbled softly, Murasakibara popping his bubble in response. Without speaking, the purple haired male moved across the mat and stood behind Takara, the small female blinking when she noticed a large shadow in front of her.
"Hm?" Takara mumbled as felt two arms wrap around her middle, lifting her from the ground.
"Atsushi." She greeted, turning around in his arms so she could see his face.
"I didn't think you would come. You hate the gym." She softly joked and he shrugged his shoulders, locking his hands together behind her hips.
"But you were here." He said and she rolled her eyes, noticing someone over his shoulder.
"Oh, Himuro Tatsuya." She spotted, Murasakibara glancing over his shoulder at his teammate who was still standing by the entrance.
"Tatsuya, come here." He said and the black haired man chuckled, moving across the mat to the two friends.
"Hello, Kuroko." He greeted, the blue haired female nodding at him in greeting.
"It's nice to see you again, sorry about last time. I couldn't help the opportunity to taunt Taiga." He said with a smile, Takara feeling a small one appear on her own lips. She remembered that day, it brought a lot of light back into Kagami's life knowing that Tatsuya was in Japan with him and they were once again rivals.
"Are you almost done practicing?" Murasakibara wondered, still holding her up in his arms.
"I'm getting hungry." He said and Tatsuya rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, I'll be done soon." She said, tapping his arms so he would let her down. "Let me just finish up with the beam and we can go eat." Nodding, the tall freshman released her and watched as she moved to the bar to dust her hands with chalk.
"...What?" Murasakibara asked, feeling Tatsuya's eye on him.
"Nothing." He said honestly, placing his hands by in his pockets as he watched the small female hop up onto the balance beam.
"She's just... Different than I thought she'd be." He admitted, chuckling when he felt his teammate glaring down at him.
"Not in a bad way, Atsushi."
"Than how?"
"Just like her style, I thought she'd be a shadow. Blend in to those around her. But, she pops. I guess you could say." He explained, Murasakibara humming in thought, watching as she performed an aerial on the bar.
"Takachin is Takachin." He said bluntly and Tatsuya chuckled, knowing that he would never truly understand their friendship.
"Alright, I'm ready." Takara said as she finished her routine, sitting down on the beam to undo the gaze on her palms.
"Here, let me." Tatsuya offered with a smile, walking over and gently taking her hand into his own to undo the gaze.
"...Thank you." She thanked, not noticing the glare that Murasakibara was giving the two.
"There." Tatsuya said as he released her hands, setting the re-rolled gaze on top of her bag. Without speaking, Takara noticed the silver chain around his neck and couldn't help but reach forward to grab it, surprising the seventeen year old. With a gentle tug, she pulled it out from his shirt and realized that it was the twin to the ring that Kagami had always wore. Tatsuya, realizing she must have seen Kagami's, softly sighed and reached for her hand, helping her release it from her grasp. Looking up, Takara's blue orbs caught hold of Tatsuya's visible hazel eye, feeling like she would lose herself in the pool of color. Suddenly, Takara was lifted from the beam by Murasakibara who had also grabbed her bag from the floor.
"Come on." He started, turning his back on Tatsuya who had placed her ring back under his shirt.
"I'm hungry." He said bluntly and with a snap, the blue haired female nodding and wrapping her arms around his neck as he carried her out of the gym and to the lockers so she could change. The small female not able to keep herself from looking over Murasakibara's shoulder to Tatsuya, his hazel eye also watching her intently.
~ * 'Whatever you want, at any moment, someone else is getting it. Whatever you have, someone else is longing for.' * ~ Laura Lippman.
End of 'Chapter Thirty-Four: Mountain Training'
Next... 'Chapter Thirty-Five: Jealous Eyes'
Don't panic you guys. Don't panic. I'm alive. I promise. No really, I am alive. Oh god, life has been kicking my butt like no one's business. I'm in the Nutcracker too right now so that has been super distracting as well as finishing up my last week of school. (SO EXCITED TO BE DONE). But within my finals, I knew that I needed to update 'Our Treasure' cause it's been way too long. I haven't forgotten about this story you guys, so don't fret! It's just life has gotten in my way and kept me distracted. But here is the newest chapter and the next should be out quite soon cause my finals will be ending and I'll be on my break! So that means more updates! Yay!
And without further adu, I'd love to thank the reviewers of the last chapter. Thanks so much for your support you guys! Thank you Guest, OBSERVER01, imKimTheWriter, seijuro407, Kichou, SnowTime, Kuroshiroyuu, xXxOtAkU-444xXx, hitomi65, gypsydancer529, crystalliser, Chamcha, Kuraiisu Takomo, Bl4ckRo5e, NarutoLuver896, lovelydragonfly, Narutopokefan, Booklover2526, Molly, hiwatari1708, Sui, kikigirl432, IrissenNii, Aztia, Guest (1), Guest (2), lunatica2012, Guest (3), duke drake, and Seijuro-kun! You guys have been so amazing and I appreciate you all so much! You are the reason I continue to write! Lots of love! Alright, well I gotta end this author's note, but I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and so sorry for such a long wait! Hope you guys like it and I can't wait to hear what you have to say about it! And P.S. Whoever can guess why Shige call her Hoseki, you get a gold star!
Cheshire
Edited as of October 20 2015: