Chapter 2: The Prince Shows
'Oh my god! Is he okay?'
'How can he be okay? He was just—'
'It's all your fault!'
'How can it be my fault!? He was the one who was stupid enough to—'
'Guys! This is not the time to be arguing! The doctor's coming—we have to ask how he's doing!'
'He's right. We have to make sure he's...'
Hiroto's orange eyes snapped open, groaning as he sat up and rubbed his head in frustration. He eyed his arm, clenching and unclenched his hand. Everything is fine now; he had absolutely nothing to worry about.
His eyes fluttered close at the light that slipped through the leaves of the tree he was taking refuge in and then his attention is caught by loud squealing and he looked up at the second floor, seeing girls pointing and waving at him excitedly. His lips lifted into a gentle smile and the crowd of girls swooned at the sight. He laughed a bit. They were so cute.
His eyes then caught red hair, and a curious brow was raised.
Taiga?
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"A game?" You can't play yet." Hyuuga repeated again for the red-haired tiger cause it seemed he had trouble understanding what he just said to him.
"What? Why, captain? Am I not good enough?" Kagami asked, confused as to why he can't simply play in an official match yet. He was looking forward to it too.
"Ah, it's not like that. It's just you're still a trial member. You're not an official member yet." Kagami's brow twitch at that. What the heck?
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"Coach!" Riko spluttered her drink right at Kagami's face. The redhead wiped the sticky liquid away and slammed his hands on the brunette's table earning curious stares from Riko's classmates.
"Coach, give me an official club membership form."
"What? You too?" Riko raised a brow.
"Too?" She nodded when Kagami had this confused look on his face. Riko explained that earlier, Hiroto and Kuroko came to her and asked her for the same thing. What was with these three today?
"Huh? Hiro asked as well? That bastard, he didn't tell me again." Kagami could already imagine that orange-haired sly look and giving out a teasing swore he was going to smack his fist against that Prince's head.
"Just how impatient are you rascals?"
"What did you call me?" Riko ignored his question and instead, reached under her table and handed him over a form.
"Well, you three have potential and we've got room on the bench, so we'd be happy to have you." Kagami grabbed the form and smiled.
"Now I can play in a game, right?" He turned to leave the room before Riko stopped him, stating that she'll only accept the form on Monday at exactly 8:40 on the roof, which left the Tiger confused at her request, especially with she had this really creepy smile on her face.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"You're doing it again this year?" Riko continued to write down her notebook, as her father leaned against the door of her room.
"In order to reach their full potential with all eyes on them, they've got to show at least that much courage. And also, there is a very interesting player that I would want to know something more about." Riko smiled at the thought of the orange-haired Prince. Her father merely raised a brow at that.
"You're so reckless. I'm glad you're passionate, but it's not good for your skin. You should rest." Her father suggested.
"Just a little bit more. I still need to finish the second years' individual programs." And with that she continued to work again, hearing her father close the door behind her.
"Well, nothing beats cultivating talent." She smiled to herself.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"I've been waiting for you, you guys." Hiroto and the other first years were finally meeting in the rooftop just as Riko instructed them to the previous day. The trio, Furihata, Fukuda and Kawahara were there as well as Taiga and Kuroko. Hiroto could tell, just at the look on his upperclassman's face that she is up to something.
"I forgot about it, but Monday, the morning assembly starts in five minutes!" Kagami shouted and that also caught Hiro's attention. They'd get scolded because of this, that he was sure. But of course, that didn't stop Riko from actually doing what she had planned for them.
"Hurry up and take it." Kagami reached out his form to her. Hiroto sweat dropped at the gesture. So impatient.
"Before that," Riko crossed her arms over her chest. "I have something to tell you." Everyone is now attentive and focused all attention to her.
"I made a promise, when the captain asked me to be his coach last year. I promised to focus solely on pushing the team towards the national championship. If you don't think you're ready for that, there are other clubs better suited to you."
"What? Of course I'm—" Kagami started.
"I know that you're strong. But I need to know you have something even more important. No matter how hard you practice, "someday" and "maybe" aren't good enough. I need to know you have ambitious goals and the will to accomplish them. Now," Riko pointed to the crowd below them. "Give me your year, class and name. Announce your goals here and now. If you fail to achieve them," Riko grinned.
"You'll come back up here, strip naked and confess your feelings to the girl you love." The first year trios gaped at that, meanwhile Kagami was confused and Kuroko's face remained blank. Hiroto merely blinked in disinterest at the deal.
"All the second years did it last year." The other first years mumbled to themselves about how they haven't heard about it before and something else like that.
"Like I said before, I'm looking for something concrete and reasonably ambitious. You'll have to do better than "play my first game" or "do my best." Kagami then stepped forward with a grin, he liked where this was going.
"This'll be easy. This isn't even a test." Jumping at the railing, he took a deep breath before shouting.
"Class 1-B, number 5, Kagami Taiga. I will defeat the Generation of Miracles, and become the best player in Japan!" Hiroto chuckled at his declaration. Not bad little tiger, not bad. The upperclassmen below looked awe at him again and can't help but grin.
"Who's next?" Hiroto can't help but watch in amusement as the other first years declared their goals. The next one is Kawahara, who actually got kicked by Riko for making his goal a little bit too long and overly-dramatic. Then followed by Fukuda who obviously, in Hiro's opinion, just got tricked into joining the club.
Then there goes Furihata, declaring that he wants to be number one at something to make the girl he liked go out with him. That's actually not quite that bad. By now, only Kuroko and him left. As Riko turned to him, he can't help but feel that she was actually wait for him to go and declare his goal.
Hiroto smiled and walked towards the railing, seeing how Taiga smirked at him, Hiroto turned towards the crowd below. When he showed, a lot of squealing happened.
"Look! It's him! Ichinose-kun!" a girl with exceptionally sharp eyes pointed up the rooftop.
"Uwaah! Even if so far away he still looks so handsome!"
"Kyah! Ichinose-kun!"
The other first years sweat dropped at the squealing, they had expected this since Hiroto is actually quite famous in the school now, especially around the female crowd, they can't help but feel a little envious. Hiroto felt his chest flatter before he took a deep breath before…
"Class 1-B, Ichinose Hiroto, I will make Seirin Basketball Club the best team there is!" Then there was a lot of squealing again.
"Kyah! Ichinose-kun, you're such a prince!"
"So handsome!"
The female crowd was gushing by now, and even more so when Hiroto gave them a hearty wave and finally ended his turn. Riko now asked for the last one.
"Excuse me." Riko jumped and turned towards Kuroko, the last person. It was his turn now, and he was facing the crowd now, but before he could even utter a single word the rooftop door slammed open and the principal came shouting at them. That was how they all now squatted and hear the principal reprimand them for being too reckless and stupid for doing such a thing again. In the end, Kuroko wasn't able to say his goal.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"Thank you for your purchase!" Hiroto gave the lady a heartwarming smile as he thanked her. The lady behind the counter dreamily sighed. They were having dinner at Magi Burger again since Taiga obviously loved their burgers and Hiroto just indulged him. They made their way into their usual seat, Hiroto's orange eyes met with shining blue eyes of the person on the other side of the table and he grinned, choosing not to say anything to Kagami as he sat down.
"I can't believe he just got mad over a little shouting." Kagami eagerly grabbed one into the burger, unwrapping it to take a big bite out of it before—
"I didn't even finish, and I got in trouble, too." Kagami turned to the source of the voice and his eyes widened at the sight of Kuroko casually sipping his vanilla shake. Kagami quickly gulped down his food as to prevent him from choking. Hiroto just snickered in the background.
"You again? And what are you laughing at Hiro? Don't tell me you noticed him even before I did?! How come you can see this guy so easily, huh?" Now, Hiroto caught Kuroko's attention. It seemed it has been in his mind for awhile now as he can see from the way Kuroko's light-blue eyes glinted. It confused Kagami as well, how the hell did he notice him before Kagami had the chance to even know he was there?
Even before Kagami can notice the blue-haired teen, Hiroto is already aware of him and just refuse to tell him because of his sadistic nature of wanting to see that shocked look on the redhead's face.
"Hm," Hiroto thoughtfully grasped his chin as if he was really thinking about what to answer, seeing both of their eager faces, he inwardly grinned.
"Well, maybe because I have awesome eyes?" Hiroto chuckled when Kagami glared at him for not taking this seriously. But Kuroko seem to have got his message as he stared directly into those light-orange eyes. Hiroto smiled at him.
Kuroko just can't help but think that Hiro is giving out cryptic messages, because the way he looked sometimes kind of reminds him of a certain blond-haired member of the Kiseki no Sedai. But of course, Hiro was not as annoying as that person. Well...kind of.
Kuroko could tell they were really close, the way Hiro just loved tease the redhead and the tiger retaliates with glares and calling him names. The two of them seem to look like brothers to anyone else's eyes.
"Enough of that, geez." Kagami seems to be already frustrated now with Hiro's jokes and chose to ignore him and turned to Kuroko.
"By the way, why didn't you go to some big name school like the other five guys? You were good enough to be known as the phantom sixth member. Is there some reason you play basketball?" Now that was an interesting question. Hiroto's countenance immediately changed into that one of a serious one, making Kuroko blink a bit at the sudden change.
Because now, like Kagami, Hiroto looked as curious as the red-haired tiger. Kuroko concluded Hiroto has some sort of a split personality, which eerily reminded him again of a certain old teammate of his, he may look quite cheerful on the outside but behind that mask hides a darker shade of himself that just waited to be let out. The light-blue haired teen took another sip of his vanilla shake before he answered.
"My middle school's basketball team had one core principle. Winning is everything." Both Kagami and Hiroto now listened more attentively at his words now. "Instead of teamwork, we needed to push the individual talents of the Generation of Miracles to win. Nothing could beat us, but we weren't a team. The five of them approved, but I felt we lacked something important."
"So, what? Are you gonna beat the Generation of Miracles your own way?" asked Kagami.
"That's what I was thinking."
"Seriously?"
"Your words, Ichinose-kun and the coach's words really struck me. Now, my biggest reason to play is trying to make you and our team the best in Japan."
"We're not going to try, Kuroko-kun." Hiroto smiled at him.
"We're gonna be the best." Kagami supplied the next words. Kuroko felt his heart soar at those words.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
As Kagami and Hiroto entered their class the next day, they were both surprised at the way their classmates were behaving. They all were looking out of the window, as if something amazing was happening outside. Hiroto can't help but feel curious, so he took a look first and is amazed. He lets out an amused chuckle, and motioned Kagami over.
"Take a look Taiga." Kagami raised a brow but nonetheless followed the orange-haired teens' instruction. It was written there on the ground, "We will be the best in Japan.", and Kagami smirked. Meanwhile Hiroto glanced to locate Kuroko already sitting on his table; a bit of white chalk residue was visible on his uniform sleeve.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Later that day, in the basketball club locker room, everyone were changing for the practice. Hiroto sat on the bench, tying his shoelaces tight as the other members are still changing their shirts.
"Ah, this is?" Hiroto turned to Koganei as he grabbed the Monthly Basketball Magazine beside him.
"Didn't this issue come out when Kuroko was at Teiko?" Koganei let Hyuuga see through the magazine with him and saw that all Teiko regulars were featured. But Kuroko...doesn't seem to have an article.
"Didn't they come to interview you?" Koganei asked innocently.
"They did, but they forgot about me." Kuroko replied blankly, putting on his wristband. The upperclassmen gaped at him in disbelief. How sad.
"Besides, I'm nothing like the other five. They're true prodigies."
'Prodigy, huh...' Hiroto sighed.
"She's back!" The locker door slammed open and Fukuda enthusiastically announced the coach's arrival and said they are going to have a practice game. Hiroto perked up at that.
"I wonder who we're playing?" asked Hyuuga.
"Who knows? She was skipping for some reason though." Fukuda scratched his head. At that information, Hyuuga jerked and narrowed his eyes.
"She was skipping?! Hey, be ready everyone. If she's skipping, our next opponent's gonna be real tough."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Seirin Private High School — as the sign board outside the brick wall stated, a stranger eyed the surroundings of the new school with vivid interest.
"This is Seirin? New and pristine, just like I expected." The entire female crowd now caught eye of the handsome stranger and started whispering amongst themselves.
"Hey, isn't he hot?"
"And tall. Wait, is he…"
"The model!" they were squealing now but the stranger kept on walking towards his destination. The gym.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Meanwhile, Hiroto felt his skin prickle at an unknown source as he watched Kagami make a quick turn against Izuki and jumped, slamming the ball into the hoop with force.
"Nice shot! Kagami!" As usual, everyone is awed; throwing him praises here and there. Hiroto caught the ball, turned and saw Kagami crouch in front of him, arms splayed out in a defensive position and grinned as if a wild tiger just found an interesting prey.
"I challenge you to a one-on-one, Hiro!" Kagami challenged, and the orange-haired boy's eyes widened. Everyone's turned towards Kagami.
"Eh? A one-on-one with Ichinose-kun?" Furihata stared wide-eyed at the sight.
"Really? Can we see Ichinose finally play?" Kawahara's glinted in delight.
"Ohhh?! This is awesome!" Fukuda fist-pumped. They were as excited as the upperclassmen that now watched the scene in awe.
Hyuuga contemplated the situation silently, for he was as curious as the others about Hiroto's basketball skills. He didn't understand why the coach, Riko chose to just have the orange-haired teen to have his own training regimen, maybe she saw something from the teen that she didn't from the others? If so, what could it be?
Kuroko stared blankly as ever at the sudden development as he remembered Hiroto's cryptic message that day. He could not forget the look on the orange-haired teens face when he said it.
'Then, you'll just have to wait and see for yourself, Kuroko-kun.' Kuroko can't help but anticipate, for Hiroto is still full of mysteries that he has yet to show.
"Are you sure, Taiga? You think you can beat me?" Hiroto had this usual grin on his face but the others can't help but there was more to it than that. Kagami shuddered at the look on his friend's face. It has been a long time since he had seen that expression.
There was only one time when he had seen it, and it was at the time in America when Hiroto is challenged by some street thugs when they saw the orange-haired Prince practicing in an unused court (the redhead was only passing by coincidentally) and claiming they'd own him in a one-on-one match. Kagami sure as hell was shocked at the outcome of that match though, Hiroto easily won without much effort, and it was an one-on-four match.
Kagami, as he himself hated to admit it, he had never been able to beat Hiroto in a one-on-one match ever. Also he had never even seen Hiroto go all out and he was already good enough without using his full power.
Kagami knew that Hiroto was hiding his skills, he had never shown it towards the redhead even at the times when they played street basketball in America together. But now, Kagami wanted nothing more than to make the orange-haired teen show his true potential.
"I'll beat you this time, Hiro! Bring it on!"
'Well, it wouldn't be too bad if I show a little something.' Hiroto bowed his head, covering his eyes with his fringe but took a sharp glance at his arm. Let see if it holds out. He gets ready, taking the ball in his right hand and began dribbling.
Everyone held their breaths at the moment, watching the two with in anticipation, even Kuroko's attention is drawn towards the two.
Let's see it then, the outcome of the match, the Tiger vs. the Prince.
Kagami's muscles tensed, sensing that something is not right. His red eyes met glowing orange ones and he shivered. Hiroto, he looked ready to spring. Kagami moved to intercept as his instinct tells him to. He rushed to the right to avoid getting the orange-haired Prince pass but to the redhead's surprise—
'A fake!' Kagami gritted his teeth as he realized that Hiro had passed him on his left at a very fast speed.
Everyone's jaw dropped at the sight, what the hell just happened? Even Kuroko could not stop his eyes from widening. They all thought he was really going to pass through the redhead's right, but what they couldn't believe was how fast Hiroto was able to pass through the other side of the redhead.
"Like I'd let you!" Kagami shouted as he rushed towards the orange-haired teen in an attempt to make a steal, but before he could even attempt to reach out for the ball in Hiro's right hand, the redhead is astonished again when he realized the orange-haired teen had flung the ball around his back and into his awaiting left hand and passed his defense.
'What? He passed Kagami again? What is this speed?' Hyuuga's jaw dropped at the sight. The way Hiroto made the play made everyone shiver, for it only took a few seconds after he first passed the redhead and now he had passed him again. It just happened so fast Kagami could not even react on time. He was just too fast, way too fast. Hyuuga spared a glance at the coach only to find her smiling, and that's when realization dawned unto him. So, the coach really saw the potential of the orange-haired player. Interesting.
Before Kagami could make a move again, Hiroto already positioned himself and threw the ball up in a high arc before landing directly the hoop with a whoosh sound that left Kagami and the others in awe. The orange-haired teen turned towards the redhead.
"Ah, maybe I overdid it a little bit." Hiroto turned towards everyone and smiled as he saw their faces, scratching his head awkwardly. "Well, that concludes the fight, right Taiga?" Kagami has finally snapped out of his stupor .
"That damn speed of yours, is still as impossible as ever." the redhead is sweating profusely, wiping his forehead. He still couldn't react in time. Hiroto is still as fast and agile as ever. Kagami knew he can barely stop the orange-haired Prince's fakes and unusual maneuvers. No wonder Hiroto was nicknamed — Elusive Prince.
"Amazing, Ichinose-kun's just amazing." The others turned to Izuki as he commented, his eyes could barely catch it at that time but, there was no doubt about it, Hiroto was fast and the way he handled the ball was no joke as well. The first year trios threw praises at the orange-haired teen now, patting his back.
Hyuuga shook his head in disbelief, does that mean that Ichinose is as strong as Kagami? 'No, he could be even stronger.' The captain thought about what the implication of this newfound information would be. If Hiroto was stronger than Kagami then, does that mean the coach knew about it? Then that was why she was giving Hiro a different regimen than the rest of them.
'My, my, she still never fails to amaze me.' Hyuuga thought with a smirk, watching the others laugh and give never ending praise towards the redhead and the Prince. Kuroko could still not believe what he had seen though he couldn't simply take away the feeling left over by that one move of the Prince. His play reminds him eerily of a certain someone again.
'Ichinose-kun's strong.' he concluded.
"All right! Gather around, everyone!" Everyone's attention turned directly to their coach as she called them out.
"A practice game against Kaijou High School?" Hyuuga asked, quickly forgetting about what happened earlier as he took in the news as did everyone else. Hiroto perked up at the name, holding the basketball in his hand.
"That's right. They won't disappoint us. We'll put plenty of first years on the court." Riko smiled.
"Disappoint us? They're way better than us." Hiroto calculated the sudden development. Kaijou High School, a school that is strong enough at the national level and they play in the Inter-High every year. Hiroto might have been from America but he always keep track with the happenings in Japan, especially within the basketball society.
"At this year, Kaijou got their hands on one of the Generation of Miracles, Kise Ryota."
Everyone is of course, excited and a bit shocked at the prospect of facing off against a member of the renowned Generation of Miracles, even if it is just a practice game. Hiroto took a glance at redhead beside him, only to see him grinning at the thought of finally getting to play against a member of the Kiseki no Sedai. Well, it's good that he's getting pumped up.
"Apparently, Kise works as a model."
"Seriously? Amazing."
"Good looking and good at basketball? That's brutal." Everyone's eyes turned towards the good-looking Prince, and their eyes went half-lidded with envy. Hiroto blinked at their attention. What?
"Idiots." Riko sighed, looking up when her attention is caught by the girls falling in line inside the gym. The girls brought what seems like — are those papers? Wait, that's not important right now, just what the heck are they doing here?
"Huh? What? What are all these people doing here?"
"Uh, I didn't mean for this to happen." A blond-haired stranger sighed as he handed a student an autographed paper. Riko's eyes narrowed at the sight of him.
'...What is the Generation of Miracles' Kise Ryota doing here?' she thought to herself.
"It's good to see you again." Kuroko greeted first, bowing his head in courtesy.
"Good to see you too." Kise cheekily greeted back. Everyone glanced at Kuroko to Kise and back. Kise scratched his head and apologetically asked his fans to give him a little space for a little while. There was a little whining of the girls here and there but one gentle smile from the blonde model melted their hearts and they obeyed without any more fuss.
"There." Kise grinned, burying his hands on the pocket of his pants as he was finally left alone by the girls.
"What are you doing here?" asked Hyuuga. Kise simply shrugged and slowly made his way towards a certain light-blue eyed teen.
"When I heard our next opponent is Seirin, I remembered Kurokocchi went here, so I thought I'd come say hi. We were the best of friends in middle school." Kise smiled down at his ex-teammate all the while, Kuroko merely stared blankly back at him.
"Not any more than anyone else." Replied Kuroko.
"You're so mean!" cried Kise childishly. Hiroto raised a brow at the blond's odd behavior, while listening carefully as Furihata read the article about the blond from the magazine.
"Kise Ryota, though he started basketball his second year of middle school, his exceptional physical ability and sense got him on the Teiko team as a regular in a heartbeat. While he has less experience than the other four, he's rapidly improving all-rounder."
"Since your second year?"
"That article exaggerated quite a bit." Kise scratched his head, embarrassed. "I'm glad to be called part of the Generation of Miracles, but I'm the worst of the bunch. They bullied me and Kurokocchi for it all the time."
"That never happened to me." Replied Kuroko again.
"What? It was just me?" cried the blonde again. At that moment, Hiroto stared at his empty hands to see Kagami threw to ball towards the blond teen that interrupted the whole conversation going on between the said teen and Kuroko.
"Ow, What was that for?" Kise turned towards the culprit himself, as he stopped the ball with one hand.
"Kagami-kun!/Kagami!" The others turned towards the redhead themselves.
"Really, Taiga. What are you doing?" Hiroto face palmed at the redhead's antics. But he really couldn't blame him, Kagami was very excited. They were planning to beat the Generation of Miracles after all, and having one right here in front of him the redhead just can't back down.
"Sorry for interrupting your reunion. Don't tell me you came all the way here just to greet us. Why don't you play with me a little, ikemen-kun (1)?" Hiroto chuckled at the blatant challenge. Kise looked like he's not really enthusiastic about the challenge.
"Huh? I don't know about that...but...earlier..." Kise thoughtfully said, his bright gold eyes sparing a glance at the orange-eyed Prince. "Ah, okay then." he accepted.
"I would like to thank you for that display too." Kise threw a smirk at the Prince's direction. Hiroto incredulously tilted his head. What is he talking about?
"Unbelievable." Riko sighed.
"It's fine, Riko." Hyuuga moved to stand beside the coach, gaining her attention. "It's the best test to see how Kagami fares against a member of the Generation of Miracles."
"This is bad..." Kuroko mumbled to himself, earning the attention of Hiroto and then it was at that moment the light-blue eyed teen explained briefly to him about the model's unique skill.
Now, everyone stood in the sidelines, taking a close look at the redhead's one-on-one match against Kise. As they moved into position, Hiroto's eyes narrowed in concentration, he better not let this moment pass, he had to be sure his eyes catch up.
Kise's smirked remained on his face as he dribbled the ball, clearly underestimating the redhead in front of him then model hastily dashed towards the redhead's left and ran towards the ring with the tiger in tow. Kagami moved to block his way and attempted to make a steal and that was when it happened. Hiroto's eyes widened in surprise at the display the blond portrayed. The red-haired tiger looked completely shocked of the movetoo.
'Shit! He copied exactly what Hiroto did awhile ago!' Kagami cursed inwardly as the blond made did the same exact move as Hiroto at their one-on-one earlier and he was already positioning himself jumping to shoot a three-pointer.
"Like I'd let you!" Kagami jumped in an attempt to stop him but Kise let the ball go, making the same beautiful arc before entering the hoop. Whoosh! It went in.
Kagami stared wide-eyed at the blond, dumbfounded.
'He learns plays as soon as he sees them and makes them his own.' Hiroto remembers what Kuroko told him just awhile ago. 'This isn't simple imitation.' Hiroto thought as he frowned, displeased.
"Kuroko, your friend's way too good."
"I don't not know that person, to be honest, I may have underestimated him until just now. It's only been a few months since I left them, but the Generation of Miracles has improved far more quickly than I expected."
"Huh…I don't know about this." Kise scratched his head. "After something so disappointing, I can't just leave now." He slowly made his way towards Kuroko again, smiling.
"Give us Kurokochii after all. Come join us. Let's play basketball together again." Everyone gaped at Kise as if he had grown an extra head.
"I seriously respect you, Kurokochii. It's a waste of your talent to stay here. Nee, what you do say?" Silence filled the entire gym as they patiently waited for the light-blue eyed teen to reply the model's proposal.
"I am honored to hear you say that. But I must respectfully decline your offer." Kuroko bowed.
"That doesn't make any sense. Besides, this isn't like you. Winning was everything." Kise persisted, waving his hands as if to prove a point, looking a bit thrown off by the way the invisible teen was acting and rejecting his offer.
"I've changed my mind since then. More importantly, I made a promise to Kagami-kun and Ichinose-kun. I told them we'd beat you, the Generation of Miracles." That was when Hiroto chose to make himself known, placing his hand on top of Kuroko's head, he glanced at the blonde miracle, expected to see him raise a brow at him.
"It's just as he said, Kise-kun. Kuroko-kun's not joking around." Hiroto caught the narrowing of the blonde's eyes at him, as if the orange-haired teen just spoke what was exactly going through his head.
"Our team, with Taiga and Kuroko-kun here, will beat the Generation of Miracles and become the best." Hiroto ruffled the boy's head affectionately. Kise frowned in displeasure at the closeness of the orange-haired Prince and his former teammate.
"Ichinose-kun…" Kuroko sighed. So this guy is Ichinose? Kise observed the new player in interest, he secretly posed a weird aura around him that not anyone could easily recognize.
He was also there when the redhead—Kagami was it? and the orange-haired teen had a one-on-one match. Kise's eyes narrowed a bit, he saw that move he did with the redhead just now and he can't help but frown at that. That move is something he could not easily imitate, if he had blinked when he saw it he wouldn't have learned to do that at all. He could also feel his arms strained a bit, doing a move like that with a fast reflex would certainly hurt one's arm if he's not used to it. Before Kise could even utter another remark, his attention is caught at the laughing redhead.
"Geez, what are you doing? I was gonna say that, Hiro, Kuroko." Kagami smirked. Riko and the rest of the team watched on as the four players stared at each other, sending out sparks everywhere that sent shivers down their spine. The practice match against Kaijou is going to be very interesting.
.
.
.
.
.
.to be continued…
(1) good looking guy
A/N: So guys, I want you to know that the Seirin vs. Kaijou practice match will be separated into two parts, and yes, I'll be writing the full match (I'll try not to murder the scene too much xD) , so I hope you stay tune! This chapter is self-edited so forgive me if have any mistakes and if you ever find one feel free to tell me.
Also, special thanks to all the people who favorite/followed/viewed/reviewed the story, It means a lot to me and keeps me inspired! I'll do my best! Constructive criticisms are always welcomed. Thanks for reading!
tkz zombiepie: Thanks for the review and do not worry my dear, Hiroto will be playing in future matches I assure you! :3
Wordy Blackbirdy: Oh! Thank you so much for telling me, I edit the story myself and since I'm not that good at grammar I tend to have mistakes (english is not my first language) but I'll try to improve it as much as I can. Thank you for that.