"You haven't heard of Duel Monsters!?" Jonouchi Katsuya exclaimed in shock. "Where have you been, under a rock?"
"Give him a break, not everyone is as obsessed as you are." Mazaki Anzu rolled her eyes.
"You've got to see the holograms!" Jonouchi insisted.
"He's had more important things to do, like play basketball! Yugi said you go to Shutoku, that's one of the best teams in Tokyo!" Honda Hiroto cut in.
Takao Kazunari laughed. "I've been so busy training for the Interhigh, I haven't had time to go to the game shop since the term started. The upperclassmen say I may be able to be on the starting line-up if I keep it up."
"We've got to play one-on-one! Yugi, why didn't you introduce us sooner?"
Takao held up his hands in mock surrender. "I don't shoot baskets much, mostly I just pass the ball around." He turned to Mutou Yugi. "So, what's this Duel Monsters game?"
The five teens were gathered outside in front of the Kame Game shop, all still in their respective school uniforms, carrying satchels of books. In answer to Takao's question, Mutou led them in from the beautiful late-spring afternoon, into the narrow, dimly lit shop. As their eyes adjusted to the darkness, shadowy blobs solidified into shelves lined with brightly packaged boxes advertising games of all kinds.
Especially prominent were temporary displays lining the aisle that boasted, "New Duel Monsters Cards!"
They were loaded with multicolored booster packs of trading cards decorated with dragons and magicians, advertising "New Monsters, Traps, and Spells!"
Prominently placed on each of the displays was a stylized golden eye that was more ridiculous than mysterious.
Takao laughed at the sight of it all. "This is great!"
Mutou Sugoroku called to them from the counter at the back of the shop, "Welcome home Yugi, are you and your friends looking for more cards?"
"Yeah!" Jonouchi exclaimed. "Takao needs a deck before we can beat him-"
Mazaki glared at him.
"I mean teach him," he amended.
"Good to see you again, Takao," Mr. Mutou said, stepping out from behind the counter. "I was worried we'd lost you entirely to that sport of yours."
"No, not quite," Takao replied with a grin. "So what sorts of cards do you have?"
"I could use a new deck too," Honda said, "Yugi keeps beating me."
"I think that's more on you than the cards," Jonouchi said.
"What? Since when are you the only one who can use that excuse?"
"I was worried it was just me," Takao said. "It's a relief to know I'm not the only one who can't beat you, Mutou. But I've been training my 'hawk's eye' on the court, so you won't win so easily this time!"
Last time Takao had met up with Mutou, Mutou had introduced him to another new game and proceeded to beat him in match after match. Takao had sworn revenge and so here they were.
"I look forward to it!" Mutou said with a smile.
"So are you going to buy some cards or not?" Mr. Mutou asked.
"Why don't we all get a bunch of packs and each make a deck out of what we find," Takao suggested, and the others cheered their assent.
.
"Even if I can't beat Yugi, I'll definitely beat you!" Jonouchi declared as they made their way upstairs, their arms full of booster packs.
They spread out across the living room floor so each of them had enough space to lay out all of their cards as they planned out the perfect deck. With much crinkling of wrappers, they opened their newly acquired riches and set about their task. For some time, they only noticed the others to trade one card for another.
Mazaki sat alone on the couch watching them at their work.
"Sorry Anzu, it looks like we'll all just be playing Duel Monsters," Mutou said sheepishly, looking up from his already half-completed deck.
"It's alright," she said, "I knew what I was getting into. It was a good idea to introduce Takao to Jonouchi and Honda, he fits right in."
"Should I take that as a compliment or an insult?" Takao said with a laugh.
"You know we're still here!" Jonouchi said, though he didn't look up from the jumble of cards in front of him.
"We'll just have to beat him and show him who's boss!" Honda declared.
"Don't underestimate Takao, he's better at card games than he appears," Mutou said.
"So harsh!" Takao feigned insult, "I guess I'll just have to earn all of your respect!"
They all resumed designing their decks with renewed fervor, Mazaki watching over Mutou's shoulder.
After a few minutes of work, Takao suddenly remembered a question he had been meaning to ask when they were downstairs in the shop. "What's with that eye in the advertisements?"
The others all turned to Mutou who began to answer, "According to Maximillion Pegasus-"
"That's the guy who invented Duel Monsters," Jonouchi interrupted.
"He claims that Duel Monsters is based off a game that Egyptian kings played," Mutou continued.
"You're forgetting the best part!" Honda said, he dropped his voice for dramatic effect, "These weren't just any games, they were games of 'great and terrible power!' They were so powerful that they threatened to destroy the world, so the Pharaoh locked the magic away into the seven mystical Millennium Items!"
Takao laughed. "This game is the best! It even comes with a backstory! I need to get my hands on one of these Items!"
"You're not the only one," Mutou said, "Pegasus said he would reward whoever found one of the Millennium Items and brought it to him with a unique, powerful card."
"That's some publicity stunt!" Takao said. "I wonder what those cards are. It would be pretty funny if they were all duds."
"That would be pretty cruel on Pegasus's part," Mazaki said. "How would you like it if that happened to you?"
"It would suck," Takao admitted, "but it'd be a pretty good joke; the cards would be as genuine as the artifacts."
Several card games later, Takao returned home. He was no master at the game, but he had won a few matches - though of course, none against Mutou Yugi. He swore he would get his revenge for the losses next time they played. In the meantime, there was something about those "Millennium Items" that he couldn't get out of his head.
Two weeks later, a package arrived in the mail for Takao Kazunari postmarked from Egypt. It had cost most of his accumulated allowance and according to the seller was "cursed," but the golden ring really looked the part - it would be perfect to send to Pegasus. It was a gaudy piece of jewelry, entirely golden and heavier than it looked, with a thick band supporting a sizable golden eye, identical to the one in the Duel Monsters advertisements.
He slid the ring onto his finger, just to try it on.
There was a flash of blinding light.
"Who dares trespass on the domain of my soul?" demanded a disembodied voice that was stern, but not quite deep enough to be commanding.
Takao stumbled backwards and barely managed to remain on his feet. When his vision returned he saw a translucent young man not much older than himself but much taller, with bright green hair, standing in front of him pointedly unamused. His torso was bare but laden with gold jewelry, and around his waist he wore a white pleated skirt.
"What the!?" Takao exclaimed, "Who are you? What are you doing in my bedroom?"
"I should be asking that of you, as you are the one who intruded upon me," the apparition answered.
Takao had no idea what was going on, whether he was delusional or talking to a ghost, but he composed himself as much as he could, put on a sardonic smile and went with it. "Where are my manners? My name is Takao Kazunari, I'm a first year at Shutoku High School. I didn't mean to disturb whatever you were doing, I just put on this shiny ring here" - he held out his hand to show it to the apparition and noticed that the man was wearing a matching ring on his left hand - "and well, here you are. It must be my lucky day!"
He glared at Takao, but didn't seem to know what to make of him.
"I've told you who I am, now it's your turn," Takao prompted him.
"You don't have to speak aloud, I can hear your thoughts," the apparition said instead of answering any of the plethora of questions buzzing around Takao's head - not the least of which were about his own sanity.
"What?" Takao demanded - this only raised more questions. "You can read my thoughts? All of them?"
"No, I can only hear the thoughts that you project. I have no intention of entering your soul room, let alone searching it, obviously," he said as though the mere thought was beneath him.
Takao was about to try again to convince the apparition to answer at least one of his questions when he heard footsteps approaching his room.
The door creaked open and his younger sister peeked in. "Is everything alright? Are you shouting at your computer again?"
She didn't seem to notice the green-haired ghost standing in the middle of the room - another point for insanity.
"Nope, just arguing with my imaginary friend," Takao answered with a grin.
His sister rolled her eyes. "Well keep it down or you'll frighten the neighbors."
Takao stuck his tongue out at her as she left, closing the door behind her.
The apparition had watched the exchange with an impassive expression. When they were alone once more, his unnaturally bright green eyes fixed themselves back upon Takao in a disapproving glare.
Takao attempted to keep his voice a little quieter this time. "So do you have a name or should I just call you Mr. Ghost?"
The apparition's frown deepened. After a pause he said, "You may call me Midorima Shintarou."
Takao laughed. "Green, huh? I'll call you Shin-chan then."
"You do not know your place!"
"You're pretty high and mighty for a figment of my imagination."
"I am not a figment of your imagination."
"What are you then?" It was a bit of a long shot, but the man seemed pretty proud; maybe he would take the bait. Even then, Takao was surprised when he did.
"I" - the apparition stood up even taller than he had been before, emphasizing how short Takao was in comparison - "am the high priest of the great Pharaoh."
"Wow," Takao said, "high priest Shin-chan. I've got a pretty wacky imagination."
"You have no right to refer to me by that overly familiar diminutive," Shin-chan insisted.
Takao ignored him. "That's pretty specific too, not Pharaoh Shin-chan, but 'Pharaoh's high priest.' Duel Monsters must have really gotten to my head."
That earned him a withering glare. "Your arrogance is staggering. You fancy yourself a god who can fashion Pharaohs from his imagination alone?"
Takao laughed. "I don't think I'm quite that delusional yet" - though with the hallucinations, who knew how long the rest of his sanity would last. "If you're not a hallucination, how come my sister couldn't see you?"
"I can only communicate with the bearer of the Ring of Miracles, obviously."
"Does that mean I'm special?" Takao asked, jokingly eager.
"Don't be stupid. Anyone who touches the Ring can see me."
"So if I went down and handed it to my sister-"
"I forbid you," the apparition said, his voice harsh.
"Not feeling terribly social?" Takao teased.
"I would rather not have my soul room invaded by an army of you."
"Don't worry, I won't introduce you to my family. Everyone will just have to think I'm crazy," he said brightly.
The apparition nodded in what Takao decided to take as approval.
"So, Shin-chan," Takao said as he sat down at his desk and pulled out his books to study - he had a lot to do and it was already getting late.
Shin-chan only scowled in response.
However, Takao was not discouraged. "I don't suppose you know anything about medieval Japanese history. See, I have an exam next week…"
As it turned out, the apparition had little to no knowledge about the Kamakura period, or was at least unwilling to share what he knew with Takao. Instead, Takao studied and Shin-chan hovered around him like a disapproving teacher, who knew Takao's answers were wrong, but refused to correct them.
Eventually Takao's mother called him down to dinner and the apparition followed. Out of the corners of his eyes, Takao saw the apparition standing just behind him, watching them eat in silence. He refused any food Takao offered with a glare.
"Why do you keep glancing over your shoulder?" his mother asked.
"He's probably talking to his imaginary friend," his sister said, "they were arguing earlier, have you two made up yet?"
"I was just wondering if he was hungry, since he hasn't had anything to eat all day," Takao answered.
"That's not good," his mother said with a laugh. "Does he want us to prepare a plate for him so he can eat when no one is looking?"
Takao turned to Shin-chan and asked aloud, "What do you think? Do you want any food?"
Shin-chan refused to dignify him with an answer.
Takao turned back to his family. "I don't think he's hungry after all."
When Takao woke up the next morning, the apparition was gone. A wiser man may have left it at that, sent the Ring off to Pegasus, and pretended it never happened - hoped it would never happen again. But Takao was curious. Even if he was going crazy and hallucinating it all, he was curious about the green-haired apparition and the bizarre narrative his mind had apparently concocted. So, before he left for school, he put the Ring back on, half expecting nothing at all. But lo and behold, Shin-chan returned.
"Good morning, Shin-chan," he said with a bright smile as he recovered from the shock of the bright flash of light that signalled the apparition's arrival.
"I see you have not learned proper respect for your superiors," Shin-chan said by way of greeting.
"You'll just have to teach me then, but it'll have to wait until after school. Do you want to join me or should I leave you here to do whatever it is you do?"
"I would hope that you are not foolish enough to leave a priceless magical object unsecured, but I see that I have overestimated you."
"Is that a yes?" Takao asked as he swung his book bag over his shoulder.
He neither expected an answer nor got one as he hurried out the door and off to school. Takao spent the day with Shin-chan following him around, always visible out of the corner of his eye. He mostly just watched and seemed to disapprove of everything he saw. Every so often he would make a noise of disgust or, even more rarely, comment on something, but for the most part, Takao did the talking, though he was careful not to say anything out loud.
He only took off the Ring for basketball practice. After as much extra training as he could manage, Takao returned to the locker room and put the Ring back on. The apparition greeted him with a glare that betrayed only a little more annoyance than usual.
"What's up, Shin-chan?" Takao asked, not terribly concerned.
"I told you not to leave the Ring unattended," Shin-chan said, a hint of a threat tinged his voice.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to abandon you," Takao teased.
When Shin-chan continued to glare at him, Takao explained, "It was just in my bag, no one would steal it and even if they wanted to, they wouldn't know where to look-"
"That Ring is more precious than your life," the apparition began to glow green.
"Okay, okay." Takao held out his hands in an attempt at a comforting gesture. "I'll find some way to keep it on me. What's so special about the Ring anyway? Other than that you're attached to it, I mean."
He considered ending the statement with a wink, but decided not to try his luck in the hopes of getting a real answer.
"It possesses powerful magic," Shin-chan answered shortly.
"That's cool! What can it do?" Takao asked as he went to lock up the gym.
"Call Shadow Games."
"Call what?"
"Magic beyond your comprehension." Of course Shin-chan managed to turn it into an insult.
"How do you know I'm not a powerful magician who has just not deemed you worthy of seeing the extent of my true power?" Takao teased as he unlocked his bike.
Shin-chan straightened his posture as though the joke had actually gotten to him, and peered down at Takao with a withering glare. "Then you would be wise enough not to challenge me."
"You should know me better than that by now," Takao said, biting back an even less intelligent retort. "Since when was I wise enough not to do anything, great magician or not?"
Shin-chan seemed to consider the question for a moment before he said, "You would do well to learn some wisdom."
It sounded vaguely like a threat, but Takao decided not to take it as such. Instead, he changed the topic. "So how did you end up stuck in a magic ring? Or does it just summon you from wherever you usually are?"
Takao wasn't surprised when all that earned him was a noise of annoyance.
"Okay, another one, what about that talisman you're always carrying in your right hand?" Takao was grateful he could just silently project the words to save his breath as he biked toward home.
"For luck, obviously."
Takao laughed. "What does a magic ghost need with luck? You're already stuck in a ring, how much worse could it get?"
"I could have to listen to your stupid questions."
"Point taken, but you can't blame me for being a little curious given the circumstances."
The apparition glared at him as though he felt blame was clearly due.
"Well, you may want a better talisman, as that one's clearly not doing the trick," Takao projected and then fell silent to focus on pedaling uphill.
The next morning, Takao joined his sister in front of the TV before school.
"Is Oha Asa on yet?" he asked.
She shook her head. "You missed it. Why? You're just going to make fun of me for watching it again!"
"Am not," Takao insisted, "My invisible friend is just down on his luck so I thought Oha Asa might be able to help him out."
"Sure…" his sister said.
"Shin-chan," Takao projected, "when's your birthday?"
"Why do you wish to know?" The apparition raised an eyebrow at him.
"Each sign has a different fortune, so to get you a new lucky item I need to know your birthday so I can figure out your sign."
Takao's sister stared at him as he silently conversed with the invisible Shin-chan.
"Big brother, are you okay?" she asked. "You know your invisible friend isn't actually real, right? That's why he's invisible…"
"What do you mean, sign?" Shin-chan demanded.
"Of the Zodiac, the constellation you were born under," Takao projected. Then to his sister he said with joking injury, "Of course he's real! How could you say that about my best friend?"
Shin-chan flushed. "Don't be ridiculous."
His sister rolled her eyes. Takao considered it a success and left for school while he was ahead - and before he was late.
As he biked to school, Takao teased Shin-chan, "You're my friend…" he stretched out the word 'friend' as annoyingly as he could.
"You are my host, nothing more," Shin-chan insisted.
"Friend…" Takao stretched out the word again until he ran out of breath.
"It would be beneath me to befriend anyone so foolish."
"Aw, Shin-chan, so cruel."
"You only have yourself to blame. And as we are not friends, stop calling me by that over familiar nickname, High Priest Midorima will do."
Takao laughed. "Whatever you say, I know that we really are friends, Shin-chan!"
The apparition tisked in frustration.
Takao spent most of the day making use of his newfound discovery to his amusement and the apparition's annoyance. His friends gave him looks of confusion as he spontaneously burst into laughter, seemingly in response to nothing in particular.
He fancied he heard the apparition breathe a sigh of relief as he stepped out onto the court for practice and his focus turned to basketball. The Ring remained with him on a chain around his neck. Takao tried to focus on the game. Unfortunately, it turned out that his hawk eye - his primary advantage on the court - did not just pick up on the other players, but also bystanders. He kept trying to focus on the translucent high priest who was always just barely within sight and yet impossible to place on the court itself.
Miyaji Kiyoshi, the captain of his team for the practice game they were playing, called a timeout. Takao's stomach dropped as Miyaji walked over to him. He knew he hadn't been playing as well as he usually did, and it seemed he wasn't the only one who had noticed.
"Someone get me a pineapple…" Miyaji called out to the other upperclassmen, though he did not look away from Takao. "Freshman, what are you thinking? Stop fucking around! If you keep staring off into space I'm going to switch you out! It's your job to keep an eye on the people on the court, not the air!"
"Yes, sir!" Takao forced himself not to look away. He was sure the whole team was staring at him.
To his relief, Captain Otsubo resumed the game and Miyaji left to defend their basket.
"Could you get off the court?" Takao projected at the apparition as he followed his team.
"What is the point of this game?" Shin-chan answered unhelpfully.
"If you don't get out of the line of my sight, I'm going to have to take off the Ring and put it with my bags whether you like it or not," Takao threatened. He couldn't focus on the court and Shin-chan at once.
The apparition frowned at him, but vanished all the same.
Shin-chan remained silent and out of sight for the rest of practice that day. Takao was mopping the floor when Captain Otsubo walked up to him.
"Takao, a word," the captain said.
"Sure!" Takao chirped, but his stomach dropped again - this could not be good.
"You've been off since yesterday," Otsubo said, "what's going on?"
Takao laughed awkwardly. As much as Shin-chan was opposed to the idea, he could hand the Ring to his captain and that would be an explanation in and of itself. That was, unless he didn't see Shin-chan. Unless Takao really was just going crazy. What could High Priest Shin-chan, be but a hallucination? But Takao would rather not have the confirmation, and he would rather his captain wasn't the one to find out.
"Well," Takao answered with a wry smile, "you see, I've got this magic Ring that contains the spirit of an Ancient Egyptian high priest-"
The captain gave him a look. "Whatever it is, just make sure it doesn't get in the way or you won't even be on the bench at the Interhigh tournament."
"Yes, sir!" Takao answered with all seriousness.
"Good." The captain left him to resume cleaning the floor with the other first years.
"Are you going to tell the whole world about me?" Shin-chan reappeared next to Takao.
"I'm not telling everyone about you," Takao projected to Shin-chan as he picked back up the mop.
"What was that then?" Shin-chan demanded.
"He didn't believe me, no one would," Takao explained. "They all think I'm joking because I don't want to tell them what's actually going on. Telling the truth just means I don't have to come up with a lie."
"Well, be careful. There are many who would steal the Ring from its foolish bearer."
Takao finished up his part of cleaning the gym and most of the other students began to filter out. He kept one of the bins of basketballs on the court and began to practice on his own as the gym emptied. Shin-chan watched with a bemused expression.
After some time, the apparition asked in bewilderment, "What are you doing?"
"I'm practicing passing," Takao answered as he threw the ball at the wall, though his eyes were directed toward Shin-chan.
He looked at the ball and shook his head - it was off by a few centimeters. He picked up another from the bin and tried again.
"Why?" Shin-chan said incredulously.
"Because the Interhigh tournament is in a few weeks" - he tossed the ball again - "and I want to be a starter."
"But why this sport? They are enough of a waste of time for the lower priests who go to watch them, but to participate in one when you could be pursuing something of actual value is absurd," he pronounced as though it were indisputable fact.
Takao tried to keep his form loose, but he could not help snapping at the high and mighty apparition, "Just because you don't think they have any value" - he tossed the ball a little too hard and it missed the mark entirely - "doesn't mean they don't to anyone else. I happen to enjoy playing basketball, and there's no point in playing half-heartedly."
The apparition seemed to evaluate what he had said.
"Anyway, it doesn't matter if you think it's a waste of time," Takao continued, "you don't have to play, if you don't want to."
"As you are my host, I don't have a choice in the matter," Shin-chan answered bitterly.
"Can't you just go back wherever you were while I was playing earlier?"
Takao threw the last basketball from the bin at the wall and went to pick it up along with all the others strewn across the floor from his practice. Shin-chan had fallen silent.
"You couldn't even play if you wanted to, right?" Takao remarked. "You're not exactly corporeal."
Shin-chan did not bother to reply, which was rude, but unsurprising.
Takao picked up the last ball and began to dribble it across the court. Suddenly, before he had finished his first lap, his body came to a stop. He stood there, unable to will his legs to move, and caught the ball. Before he knew what he was doing, he lifted the ball above his head and shot it at the basket.
It made a high arc, like no shot he had ever seen. It seemed to stay in the air forever, going up and up until it nearly brushed the ceiling. Finally, it froze in mid air and then began to make its descent, faster and faster until it bounced off of the rim of the basket and ricocheted off to the side.
"What the fuck?" Takao demanded of the universe.
Shin-chan reappeared next to him with an annoyed expression.
"What was that?" Takao exclaimed. "What did you do?"
"You are my host," Shin-chan said, as though that was an explanation.
"Did you just?" Takao wasn't even sure where to begin.
Shin-chan adjusted the Ring on his finger in a poorly disguised attempt to stall for time.
"You can do that!?" Takao demanded.
"Yes, obviously," Shin-chan answered.
"That's- That's not okay!"
"Your function as my host is to enable me to interact with the world. Do you protest this arrangement?"
"Yes!" Takao nearly shouted. "If you want me to do something, you can just ask!"
For a moment Shin-chan looked like he was going to protest, but his expression soon settled back into his habitual frown and he reluctantly said, "Very well."
Still shaking in the knees, Takao walked slowly over to the basket to pick up the ball and resumed his drills for the evening.
The next afternoon, Takao sat in class, unable to attend to the teacher's words, even though this lecture was certainly going to be on the exam. As strange as it had been to be possessed by Midorima, he could not stop thinking about that shot. It was an absurd shot, way too long with much too high of an arc. No one who had ever played basketball would ever attempt anything like it unless they were desperate because the chances of it working were so low. But by some fluke, it had almost gone in. And if it wasn't a fluke, it would be unstoppable.
After practice, he waited until the rest of the team left and he had the gym to himself.
"Shin-chan, how did you shoot that ridiculous basket yesterday?" Takao asked, dribbling the ball at the edge of the three-point arc.
Shin-chan glared at him as though Takao had been wrong to get angry at him for taking over his body.
Takao would just have to figure it out for himself. It was his own body that had done it; the muscle memory must have counted for something, right? It was just a normal shot with a crazy high arc. Takao lifted the ball above his head and launched it into the air, it went straight up and landed only a few feet away - he was lucky it didn't land on his head.
Shin-chan almost looked amused.
Takao tried again, to only marginally better results.
"How did you do it?" Takao said with as much an exclamation as a question.
He couldn't believe an Ancient Egyptian who had never played a single sport in his life, let alone basketball, may very well have been better than him. But he had made that shot with Takao's body, somehow he had managed it…
He tried the shot again. It went in the right direction, but didn't land anywhere near the basket. It wasn't even a real technique. Maybe he had just hallucinated it, that would fit right in with everything else.
Takao let out a wild laugh. "This is absurd."
The apparition glared at him. "What's so funny?"
"Everything." Takao threw up his hands in surrender. "You and your impossible shot and your magic ring!"
"I don't understand what's amusing about that." Shin-chan adjusted his Ring.
"Well, you're not the one having crazy hallucinations, are you?"
"I am not your hallucination," Shin-chan insisted.
"I bet that's what a hallucination would say," Takao said with a wry smile.
"And that shot is not impossible."
"Really? Prove it."
"How am I supposed to do that if you don't allow me to use your body?"
Takao was going crazy, he didn't have that much more to lose. Anyway, if Shin-chan was a hallucination, it really was just himself doing it, right?
Consciously letting go of his body was possibly a stranger feeling than having it taken over. He could still see and hear and feel his muscles moving as though he were himself, but at the same time it was also as though he were watching himself with his hawk's eye.
He had no control over his body as he- no, Shin-chan dribbled the ball, but that gave him room to watch everything more closely. He felt his muscles tense and relax as he raised the ball above his head, stretched into the air, and released. The ball flew through the air in a high arc that nearly touched the ceiling as his feet landed back on the ground. He had to remember how to move them before he fell over.
Shin-chan was standing next to him once more by the time the ball fell through the hoop.
Takao laughed. "That shot is absurd. It's way too high!"
Shin-chan frowned at him. "What is it you want?"
"No, not in a bad way," Takao hastily corrected. "It's just unbelievable. If you can do that consistently, we'll be unstoppable."
Takao almost forgot to practice passing in the weeks that followed, he was so busy practicing shooting with Shin-chan. His performance in practice with his teammates suffered and the upperclassmen noticed, but it would all be worth it if he could master this shot. Finally, after two weeks of practicing - with only one more week until the Interhigh tournament - it looked like the high projectile three was ready enough to show to the team.
"It's a shame I can't pass to you," Takao remarked as he cleaned up after their extra practice.
Takao spent the next day in an excited, nervous jitter. Even Shin-chan's grumpiness couldn't stop him from grinning like a maniac. They had practiced their shot, it was time to unleash Shutoku's latest weapon - if it actually existed.
Finally, practice came around. In the first practice match alone, Takao managed to miss a pass and even fumbled the ball. He didn't even have an opportunity to attempt the shot before time was called and they gathered around Captain Otsubo and Coach Nakatani.
"Takao," the coach called him out. "Your play has been getting worse, why should I not remove you from the bench for the benefit of the team?"
He had been dreading this.
Takao took in a deep breath and explained, "I've been working on a new technique, I was actually meaning to show it to the team today."
"Is that so?" the coach said. "Would you like to demonstrate it for us? Then we can finalize who will be on the bench and in the starting line up for the Interhigh tournament."
"Sure, coach," Takao said with an awkward laugh.
"I hope you're ready for this, Shin-chan," he projected as they approached the center line, ball in hand.
He glanced back, the coach and captain were talking. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but he could guess it wasn't anything good.
Shin-chan gave him a look of unshakable confidence. Takao could not help but envy him, but then again, maybe Shin-chan was just so confident because it didn't matter to him whether this shot succeeded or failed. Still, there was something in his sharp green eyes that said he would not miss and so Takao rescinded control.
He felt his arms dribble the ball and catch it. Then, he raised it above his head and released. It flew through the air in an impossibly high arc.
One of the first years laughed, confident it would miss.
Shin-chan returned control and reappeared next to Takao as he watched the ball begin its descent. The Ring on Shin-chan's hand glowed green. The ball sped up like he imagined a meteor would as it fell to earth, he could even see the fiery green tail in his mind's eye as it fell through the basket. It did not even graze the rim.
Takao could not help the grin that spread across his face. They would be starters for sure.
Shutoku was known as the King of the East for a reason. It was a good team that practiced hard and had solid foundations. And now they had a secret weapon; Takao Kazunari and, unbeknownst to everyone else including their teammates, Midorima Shintarou. It was no surprise that they made it to the Interhigh preliminary finals with relative ease.
Their qualifying final was against Seirin High. They were a new team that had started only the previous year. Shutoku had played them in the final league to qualify for the Interhigh tournament the previous year and won by almost a 100-point margin. Still, Seirin was not to be underestimated. They were good and had since gained a promising first year Power Forward.
But that did not explain why Takao was tense before they even stepped on the court. He suspected it was Shin-chan's fault; the apparition could hardly keep his hands off his Ring as they warmed up for the match. Shin-chan stretched with the team despite being incorporeal. For the tournament, he was hardly wearing any of his usual bulky golden jewelry.
"Relax!" Takao projected with a grin. "Just one more match and then we're in the tournament proper."
It was at times like these that Takao wished he could give the apparition a friendly punch on the shoulder. As it was, his words only earned him an angry glare.
Takao just laughed it off.
The captain soon called the team over for a huddle and then it was time for the starters to line up.
The first thing Takao noticed as they lined up was what had to be Kagami Taiga, Seirin's new Power Forward. He was tall, with dark red hair and matching eyes, and around his wrist he wore a thick golden bracelet decorated with an eye identical to the one on the Millennium Ring.
"Nice bracelet!" Takao called out as they positioned themselves on their respective sides.
Kagami only chuckled in response.
"You didn't tell me there were more of you," Takao projected at Shin-chan while they waited for the tip off to begin. "Why does he get his own body? Or do I look like you when you're in control?"
It was just a joke, but to his surprise Shin-chan answered even more seriously than usual, "He's not one of us."
"How many of you are there?" Takao asked incredulously - what had his mind come up with?
Shin-chan didn't have a chance to refuse to answer as the game began.
It started off deceptively well, and the teams appeared evenly matched. But Takao had never played against anyone like Kagami Taiga. He resembled Shin-chan more than anyone Takao had ever met. Had he not fallen to exhaustion halfway through the match, Takao expected he would have been able to single-handedly carry his team to victory.
That alone would not have been enough to throw Takao off his game; he had faced strong opponents before. But not half-way into the first quarter, Takao's hallucinations got worse. Shin-chan had just returned control to him after making a three when Kagami vanished. Even with his hawk eye, Takao took a moment to locate him just under the basket. Kagami's bracelet was glowing and the tips of his hair were pale blue. Takao saw him strike out his palm and blast the ball across the court at an impossible speed, like a blue meteor. Before anyone else knew what was happening, Kagami raced after it and completed the one man alley-oop.
The expressions of surprise on the others' faces suggested that he was not the only one who had seen the remarkable play, but Takao was willing to bet he was the only one who saw Kagami's hair change color or his bracelet glow.
It did not stop there. Takao did what he could to stop Kagami's passes, but there was only so much he could do. He felt his control slipping as Shin-chan pushed to do more and more. He was angry, so angry, he was desperate and it swallowed him whole.
He felt his mouth form words and heard his voice screaming through no will of his own, "I will stop you!"
Takao returned to himself as the ball fell out of his hands and bounced away unheeded. For an instant, he saw Midorima standing in front of him, covered in sweat that should not have been possible, his eyes burning with rage that even frightened Takao. And then the apparition vanished. Nearly the whole second half of the game came back to him in a rush. His bones ached with exhaustion, his lungs screamed for air. They lost, and he hadn't even been able to watch. His eyes stung with tears.
He went through the post-game motions in a daze. The whole team seemed dazed.
Takao excused himself as soon as he could and found himself out in the pouring rain. He ignored it as his clothes became drenched. He pulled off the ring from around his neck and was about to throw it on the ground as forcefully as he could when Midorima appeared in front of him, back in full regalia.
Takao stumbled back with a shout of surprise.
The apparition just stared down at him imperiously.
"Damn it!" Takao shouted. "What do you want from me?"
The apparition could not even manage an insult. That was fine by Takao, there were enough for the both of them swirling around in his head.
He wanted to toss the Millennium Ring into the mud and forget it there. Maybe then his life would return to some semblance of normal. But as he attempted to stare down the apparition, he saw something in Midorima's eyes that was certainly mirrored in his own. Maybe it was because he was a manifestation of Takao's own subconscious, but Takao was not the only one who had desperately wanted to win.
And, although it felt like half a dream - or perhaps a nightmare - he remembered the remainder of the game. Whether it was actually himself or Shin-chan, he remembered trying so hard to win, doing everything they could to bring their team to victory. Even if Shin-chan probably didn't exist, Takao couldn't just throw him away after all that.
Amidst it all, Takao felt his stomach aching with hunger.
He slid the Ring onto his finger and said, "Come on Shin-chan, let's get something to eat. You can even take over to have some yourself if you want."
Shin-chan nodded in approval and followed him to the nearest restaurant.
The wind picked up by the time they stepped inside the warm, crowded restaurant. Takao was so exhausted that it took him a moment to register who was seated at all of the tables. He balked and he could feel Shin-chan boiling with rage next to him. Everyone was staring at them- just him really.
He considered leaving, but a storm was stirring outside and it wasn't just Seirin inside. He recognized Kasamatsu Yukio, Kaijou's nationally reputed point guard, sitting with Kagami and a nervous-looking Seirin first year. And he couldn't deny he was at least a little curious about Kagami's Bracelet. Maybe they could talk about Duel Monsters, at least.
So, Takao swallowed his pride and made his way over to the table despite Shin-chan's adamant protests.
"Is it alright if I join you?" Takao asked with a grin that was only partially faked.
"Seirin's in a celebration mood, is that alright with you?" Kasamatsu said.
"I don't mind," Takao said, though it stung a little, and took a seat across from him, next to Kagami.
They all ordered food and then Takao turned toward Kagami. "Where'd you find that bracelet? I hear Pegasus himself is dying to get his hands on them."
Kagami gave him a blank look. "What are you talking about? My crazy old aunt gave it to me for my birthday, she said she found it while she was abroad."
"It's not polite to refer to your elders like that!" Kasamatsu exclaimed.
Kagami shrugged. "She said it was cursed."
"It-it does contain Kuroko, doesn't it?" the Seirin first year said.
He shrunk as everyone turned to look at him.
"Who's Kuroko?" Takao asked a little too eagerly, looming over the frightened boy.
The boy looked to Kagami for help and Takao followed his gaze.
Kagami's bracelet glowed light blue and the tips of his hair turned the same shade. His eyes widened into an expressionless stare and he somehow seemed to shrink.
"I am," a person who was clearly not Kagami said.
Takao turned to the others as his last refuge of sanity and nearly begged, "Please tell me you're seeing this too."
To his surprise the other two nodded.
For the umpteenth time that evening, Takao felt like he was about to cry, but this time it was out of relief.
"I've got one too," Kasamatsu said.
He pulled a chain like the one Takao had been keeping the Ring on out from under his shirt. On the other end was a large golden eye identical to Takao's Ring and the symbol on Kagami's Bracelet.
"Does yours contain a person too?" Takao asked with a laugh.
He had meant it as a joke, but perhaps he should not have been surprised when Kasamatsu answered, "Yeah, he's an idiot." He seemed to aim the last part at the empty space just to his right.
"What about you?" Kasamatsu asked with a glance at Takao's Ring.
Takao nodded. "He's impossible. He's such a tsundere, he only speaks in insults. He'd make one hell of a shooting guard though."
The aforementioned Shin-chan glared at him. Now that Shin-chan was definitely a real person - unless they were all crazy, or Takao was hallucinating the whole conversation - Takao realized he should probably be a little nicer, but he was too relieved to care properly.
Takao turned to the Seirin first year. "What about you? Do you have one?"
He shook his head.
"How do you know about Kuroko then?"
"Kagami showed- introduced him to the whole team," he explained.
"The whole Seirin team knows about him?" Takao asked incredulously.
The first year nodded and Kasamatsu backed him up, "I thought I was going crazy until we played Seirin in a practice match and they all treated it like it was normal."
"No kidding…" Takao said. " I don't suppose you managed to beat them?"
Kasamatsu laughed. " Even with Kise - he's the spirit in my earring - we couldn't win, and he can copy any move he sees. He sulked for days."
"It was a good game!" Kagami said with a grin.
"Don't get cocky, we'll get our revenge next time." Kasamatsu's eyes flashed yellow.
Before they could continue talking, the food came and the starved basketball players descended upon it.
It was some time before Kasamatsu picked back up the thread of the conversation. "Does yours claim to be from ancient Egypt?"
"Yes!" Takao hastily swallowed. "Do you think they actually are?"
Kasamatsu shrugged. "Who's that Pegasus person you mentioned? What does he want them for?"
"He's the inventor of Duel Monsters, I assumed they were just some sort of Duel Monsters paraphernalia," Takao explained. "Do you play?"
"What's Duel Monsters?" Kasamatsu asked.
"It's this great card game, I'll have to show you guys how to play! There are holograms and everything!"
"What is the relationship between the game of Duel Monsters and the Miracles?" Kagami - no, Kuroko - asked, his voice flat.
Takao shrugged. "I was hoping you guys would know. Duel Monsters just has this whole Ancient Egyptian theme. Maybe we should ask Pegasus, he's the one who wants them so bad he made a card game around them."
"Why not," Kasamatsu said, "it sounds like he knows more about them than we do."
Takao laughed, but maybe it wasn't that bad an idea.
There was a lull in the conversation as they all ate eagerly.
Takao projected at Shin-chan, "Do you want to talk to the others? Maybe they know something about your situation."
Shin-chan gave him a look. "I have nothing to say to them."
That sounded almost like…
"You know them?" Takao asked.
Shin-chan did not dignify him with an answer.
"What, is it top secret? If you told me would you have to kill me?" Takao teased.
That only earned him a glare.
He shrugged and returned to his dinner.
By the time he left, Takao was ready to collapse. But despite their loss to Seirin, it had been a good day; he had found out he wasn't crazy and even got the phone numbers of the other Item holders. And next time they played, he and Shin-chan wouldn't lose.