Thanks for all the reviews~! I'm obliged to write another chapter that satisfy you all. So anyway, I will try for another chapter this week, and My Dignified Imouto is coming up next, also Rainbow Drops is likely to resume updates next week. In this chapter, Yume will start to question herself about her vague friendship with the guys, and how she truly feels about having them around.

To Jounouchi123: Yume's past is going to be a secret until it's not, but hey, I'm giving out clues here and there. Yeah, Aomine and Momoi need to know first, although another eagle-eyed person might just find it first, who knows. As for the girl Akashi warned her, she's making appearance soon, real soon.

To Guest: Haizaki? Well story-wise, he didn't apply for the try out, so I assumed he got scouted or applied late in the year. So he won't be here until much later.

To Dina Sana: I will be putting it up in this story, it's going to be a pain separating them all, so yeah. And while I said the Second year arc will start on Chapter 20, it's not yet the fixed schedule, so I might add few chapters more. I will see how it turns out, since there are few fillers I plan to write.

Pairings : Undecided

Warnings : Teikō Middle School Days.

Disclaimer : I own only the OCs.


Chapter 15 - All things are difficult before they are easy

There are noises everywhere, from every directions. Loud cheers from both benches of each school, and the squeaking of shoes, then the dribbling of ball from the court.

All attentions are directed to the court, and no one notices the suspicious movements of a certain brunette girl, or the obvious bulge on her duffel bag when she asked for a restroom break.

In Yume's line of vision are her magical ingredients to concoct the 'poison'. One, Momoi's elusive special bento, and, Two, supplement pills. After another moment of consideration, Yume grimaced. She can't believe what she is about to do.

In the 13 years she's been alive, never has Yume plans someone's demise. Not even once, she pranks people. And yet she's about to do worse. She could only hope her lack of experience won't cost her another trouble.

"Here goes nothing..." Yume gulped. She shakily reached for the pink-wrapped box and slowly unwrapped it to find a 3-tiered bento box. She sweat dropped. 'Sat-chan must have gone all out in this one...' And Aomine would have died if he's to consume it all.

After preparing her eyes for what cruelty she is about to see, Yume opened the lid. Like she expects, it truly is harm for the eyes. Although, for the first time, and most likely the last, she finds hope in the familiar, yet unidentified slimy things in Momoi's bento. Seems like her bestfriend has yet to improve her cooking skill.

"Let's see... There're 8 players in total, so this much should be enough.." Yume muttered, picking a handful of supplement and grind them to dust. She cringed as she mixed the two deathly combinations, feeling like a witch with her cauldron. She shuddered at the thought.

Soon, the 'poison' is complete. What's left is actually getting the patients to consume it. Yume have thought of the method; she plans to use the thermoses to her advantage, since one can't see what's inside, they won't notice if the drinking water is 'polluted'.

As for the taste... let's just hope they won't catch on.


Yume returned just in time, 3 minutes before the end of the 2nd Quarter. The situation hasn't changed for the better. Teikō regulars are playing more and more sluggish with their bruises and fatigues, and even with the substitution of 3 reserve players, another 2 will still be the exhausted players out of the 5 currently on court.

"Momoi. Fill those bottles to the brim. They're going to need lots of water to hydrate themselves." Coach Sanada ordered without taking his eyes off the match.

From the corner of his eyes, Momoi nodded. She quickly got on her feet and proceed to cradle all those bottles, before half are taken by another pair of hands.

Momoi looked up in slight surprise. "I will help you, Sat-chan." Yume smiled, cradling half of the bottles.

"Thank you, Yuu-chan!" Momoi spoke in sincere gratitude. She then made haste. "Let's go!" she cheered as Yume followed closely behind her trail.

Of course, that's just the golden opportunity for Yume to execute her plans. And Momoi doesn't know that.

The two girls stopped when they reached a water fountain. Momoi quickly takes her bottles and fills them one by one, while Yume 'did' her bottles.

'I'm very sorry for this, senpais.. I honestly mean no harm...' Yume prayed inwardly as she poured the liquid into the bottles.

After she's done, Yume took the bottles Momoi filled, and hand her unfilled ones. Momoi doesn't seal the bottles in her haste, which is a huge help for her.

Without anyone noticing, the bottles are all now 'contaminated'. Yume could only hope that her senpais will be able to attend school when Monday comes around.

Yume doesn't know the extent of Momoi's cooking, even more when it's paired with an unknown factor of a supplement. Surely, it won't kill a person! ...hopefully.

"The 2nd Quarter is ending in another 30 seconds! We have to run, Yuu-chan!" Momoi shrieked frantically, swiftly taking half of the bottles before breaking into a run, Yume closely behind. The regulars are most likely waiting for their water now.

On the other hand, while her feet are moving like Usain Bolt, Yume's mind is muddled and rattled. '...I feel like I'm forgetting something important..' she frowned.

Certainly, her plans are going smoothly. The 'poison' was complete, and she is 90% sure of its effects. Yume even makes sure that all 8 bottles have the mixtures.

So what is this uneasy feeling that tells Yume that she is going to mess up?

"Oh, Momoi. Manai, too. Thanks for the hard work, girls." Nijimura smiled, waving his hand weakly at the two approaching girls. He really needs those water now, his throat is so parched with all the sweating.

Momoi returned the smile, quickly handing the bottles to the 4 regulars closest to her. "Good work, senpais. Please have a rest, I will massage your legs one at a time." she rolled her sleeves, crouching before Nijimura first, since he took the most foul plays.

As she watched the scenes unfold before her eyes, realisation dawned on Yume, hard. The 4 bottles Momoi handed to the regulars are emptied almost immediately, the remaining 4 are still in her hands, as her feet are rooted to the ground.

There are 8 eligible players consisting of 2nd years and 3rd years, 8 bottles of 'mixed' water, while there are 4 ineligible players of 1st years. Do the maths. Basketball match requires 5 players.

Dear Heaven.

Yume almost dropped the bottles to the ground as she lost her strength momentarily. Only for the 3 reserve players that haven't gotten their drinks yet took them from her.

"Careful there! Thanks for this, err.. I don't know your name.. I will just give this to Nijimura. He needs this." one of them spoke with a sheepish grin, turning on his heels and approached Nijimura while Yume is stunned.

'This can't be happening! Oh, my stupid, careless mistake!' Yume screamed internally, her mind a mess.

Her eyes widen as Nijimura took the bottle, thanking the guy as he quickly lifts the bottle, the tip of it touching his lips and the liquid about to flow out.

"N-No!"

With her sudden outburst, Yume gains the attention of all the people around her. Feeling eyes on her, her gaze fell to the ground in embarrassment. Even she herself can't believe she just shouted.

"What's with her?" Aomine muttered in confusion. From the time he knows Yume, it's the first time he heard her shout.

Midorima scoffed. "Idiot."

"Hmm.." Murasakibara hummed lazily.

While Akashi raised his brows in suspicion. From what he knows, the brunette isn't one to shout, much less in public. Meaning, there must be a good reason behind it.

"Yuu-chan? What's wrong..?" Momoi paused in her massage, giving Yume a concerned look.

Thankfully, Nijimura hasn't yet downed the liquid, probably due to his bewilderment from her sudden yell. Yume quickly ransacked her brain for ideas, before her hands swiftly reached her duffel bag, producing another bottle, see-through, filled with lemon water.

Yume shoved it forward to Nijimura's direction with both hands, despite how her feet are still firmly rooted to the floor, and she's about 5 steps away from him.

"T-This..! P-Please have this instead!" Yume can feel her face burns with embarrassment, and her eyes tightly shut. By now, her ears are also red.

Why oh why she decided to do this again? Look at what it got her into. If only Yume was just watching and didn't plan any of these things, she could have saved herself from this utterly embarrassing situation!

Nijimura can only blinked at the sudden development. He can't believe what he just heard, or even witnessed. Although, he feels kind of sorry for the girl, looking how red her face is.

"..Nijimura gets the girl, again? This is starting to get old." One of the 2nd years murmured in envy. Amongst the First stringers, Nijimura is the most popular. That is, before the appearances of the 1st years.

"What's this.. We only got water, and Nijimura gets the lemon water? I'm seriously killing him one of these days." Another grumbled, downing his water furiously.

The raven-haired Captain is not deaf to the obvious jealousy, nor is he blind to the scene before him. So Nijimura quietly put the bottle in his hand on the bench, and slowly walked to where the brunette is.

He took the bottle in her hands, his cheeks tinted slight pink as his hand awkwardly clutched the back of his neck. "..Thanks for this, Manai.." Nijimura muttered. He looks adorable with the slight blush.

Feeling the weight disappeared from her hands, Yume opened her eyes and looked up in surprise. She didn't expect he would actually accept, her being nearly a complete stranger to the guy.

A little peek at Nijimura's blushing face, and she found her lips moved automatically, as her tone faltered. "Y-Your welcome, senpai..." Yume replied shyly, keeping her eyes on the ground.

Momoi can feel her heart stops for a moment when she saw Yume's adorable expression. 'Goodness me..! Yuu-chan is sooo cute, it's killing me!' she squealed internally.

Nijimura walked away first, joining the rest of the guys as he drank the refreshing liquid. He received nudgies from his friends, due to their jealousy. Of course, they don't do anything that could have harm him.

After a while, Yume wordlessly returned to her seat while Momoi is tending to the guys. She could still feel eyes on her, but she tried hard to ignore them. One of which is Akashi's intense stare, as if he's trying to dissect her whole.

Yume had to convince herself all-over, that she is doing this for the team, and not her personal interest or anything like it. Although, she has to admit. Nijimura's blushing expression has her heart beating like crazy even now.

No wonder he is popular and highly sought after by the females population. Nijimura got the looks, and talents in check. If not for her conception of love, Yume might have fallen for him.

Then again, that's an 'if'. A very big 'if'. Because Yume knows, that the only thing constant is change, and that includes the feelings of love. She learned that when she was very young. And now the idea of falling in love sounds so wrong to her brain.

The 2nd Quarter break lasted for 10 minutes, and soon the players are back on the court. As soon as the whistle is blown, however, like a delayed effects, Teikō regulars all fell one by one. Everyone, even the now benched regulars, except Nijimura alone, are now lying on the ground, unconscious.

"What the-?!" Coach Sanada stood abruptly. "Stretchers! Get the stretchers!" he yelled for help, which soon comes flooding in the court. Nijimura looks lost on the court, as he stood alone amongst the unconscious bunch.

Confused murmurs filled the gym, and Yume shifted in discomfort, from the noises, and the events she caused. And it didn't escape someone's notice. Momoi have called the ER, and the collapsed guys are soon transported to the hospital with ambulances.

Since the players are still middle school students, and thus minor, Teikō could be held responsible if anything were to happen. So even with the fact that they are on verge of forfeiting, Coach Sanada has to let them go.

Although, that may not be the case. Because the 1st years are ready to kick the Tomigaoka guys. And as Coach Sanada has no other choice to save Teikō's reputation but to send out the freshmen regulars, he begrudgingly void the 2nd Term rule for the current match.

That day, Tomigaoka felt the wrath of Teikō's future best players, and suffered an overwhelming lost of 64 to 126.


The remaining Teikō students left the public school happy. Coach Sanada and Nijimura had left to visit the regulars in the hospital, so Yume and the rest of the basketball club members are walking to the nearest bus station.

"Man! That was fun! Too bad they played dirty." Aomine stretched his arms with a satisfied grin. His scowl from this morning had vanished without a trace.

Midorima adjusted his glasses. "Still. I have to wonder just what had actually transpired with our senpais." he furrowed his brows in thoughts.

"I wonder about that, too.. It's not just fatigue since the reserve players also collapsed..." Momoi nodded in agreement, her fingers on her chin.

Murasakibara shrugged, munching his chips. "Who knows? We got to play, so it's alright." he replied, obviously not interested in the conversation.

"Well, Fate might just have chosen our side." Akashi commented with a meaningful smile. He shifted his gaze to Yume, who has been quiet through the entire conversations. "..or someone had brought Fate to our side."

Akashi smirks as he watched Yume flinched ever slightly. Truth is, she's been trying real hard to keep her reactions at bay, knowing them to be the reasons that could give her away. But, of course, Akashi just has to get his answers. And he did, when she flinched.

"I think my bag is lighter than this morning.." Momoi frowned. "Did I leave something on the gym?" she pursed her lips thoughtfully. Then her eyes widen.

"My special bento!" Momoi exclaimed loudly, and as one, the rest of them stiffen.

Yume has seen first-hand of Momoi's bento, Aomine suffered from it since childhood, while Akashi, Midorima, and Murasakibara happened to see it by chance when said girl handed one of those to Aomine during club's practice.

Momoi quickly rummaged through her bag, and is immediately disappointed when she couldn't find said pink-wrapped 3-layered box.

While Aomine went 'Hallelujah!' as relieved tears flow from his eyes and he raised his arms upwards in a banzai motion.

Her disheartened expression tugs at Yume's guilty conscience, and she decided to speak up. "Uh, Sat-chan?" she nudged Momoi's slightly.

"Your bento, is this it?" Yume took the pink-wrapped box from her bag and handed it to Momoi, much to the tanned male's horror, now sporting the 'Scream' expression.

Happiness is clearly written in Momoi's face. "It is, Yuu-chan! Thank you so much!" she nearly cried in joy.

Yume scratched her cheeks sheepishly. "I found it under the bench, someone might have knocked it down, so I doubt it's in an eatable condition..." she added.

"Aww.. That's too bad. But at least I got the boxes back!" Momoi frowned before smiling. She turned to her childhood friend. "Guess it will be next time then, Dai-chan~!" she sing-sang.

Aomine face faulted, his face rapidly losing colour. "Hell no!" he shouted before shivering and broke into a run, as if escaping from a serial killer.

"What's with that reaction, Dai-chan?!" Momoi yelled after the running boy, her cheeks puffed in anger as she stomped her feet on the ground, frustrated.

'The normal reaction..' The remaining members concluded internally, sharing their unanimous thoughts as they looked away from the fuming pinkette.

Each and every one of them is truly glad that they're not the girl's childhood friend. One can only imagine the taste tortures Aomine went through since young age. It's even worse considering how Momoi is completely your ideal-type of girl. If only she cooks decently.

The walk home is filled with mindless chatters, and happy laughters as they talked about whatever's under the sun. Aomine tends to shift the conversation towards basketball and Midorima hardly contributes what's not snide remarks, but still they all have fun.

"Now that I remember, have any of you heard about the Summer Training Camp? Head Coach is currently scheduling them!" Momoi spoke happily, excited at the thought of the camp.

Unlike the joyful female, the air around the boys dropped to below zero. "You said the Head Coach did? This summer is going to be pure Hell.." Aomine grimaced, shuddering as he recalled the smiley-old man.

The Head Coach rarely makes his appearance on the gym, although Akashi said that he's there most of the time, only that he hid from the players' line of sight. He's a nice, polite gentleman overall, but as a Coach, he is a truly terrifying man.

When the 4 of them, being 1st years yet making the team after the first try out, of course said executive just had to make his introduction. What's notable is his way of making introduction, which is utterly unforgettable and painfully engraved into their bodies in the form of terrible sores for the whole week.

"Did he say where it's going to be held?" Midorima asked in slight discomfort. He'd like as many informations he can get to prepare himself before he stepped into what could possibly his hellish summer.

"Geh. If it's that old man then he's going to keep everything secrets until the D-day." Murasakibara commented bitterly. Of all things he hates, one of them is said man's trainings.

Akashi hummed. "I believe Summer comes after the exams. Wouldn't it be wise to worry about that first?" he reminded as Aomine's shoulders slumped even more.

Meanwhile, something in Yume stirred as she gazed at the conversing teens with topics she's not aware of. While she is happy, she is also slightly sad. As she heard them talk and interact with one another, she is strongly reminded that she is an 'outsider', much like how she can even help them today.

Her heart clenched at the sight of colourful tufts. Yume can't tell what is it that she feels exactly. Does she want to be a part of them?


Author's note:

So yeah, how is it?

Read and Reviews~