Summary [chapter 8]: As Seirin face the aftermath of their defeats, Masuko discovers how greatly it affected Kuroko as she unveils new parts of her past that still holds an importance to her and indirectly provokes other revelations along the way.
Following the canon chronology with some additions for the purpose of the story. Main pairing of the story: Midorima x OC.
Written in the third person. The words in italic are characters' thoughts and the words written like this are said in another language (French or English). No harem x OC.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my OCs
[HOSPITAL ARC]
FRAGMENTS
~.~
Chapter 8: our rights and wrongs
'We lost'
Two words, six letters Miyuki wished she never saw again. She read again and again Riko-san's message had sent a few hours ago, hoping its content would magically change... But of course, it wouldn't be the case.
She cursed herself for being at the hospital instead of being by their sides. If she felt that way despite knowing in advance they would, lose then Seirin were probably feeling much worse.
And Taiga...
She was dead worried about him but she only sent a text saying 'Come when you feel like it.'
Miyuki had been there. She knew her best friend needed space before coming talk to her – and probably cry like she did after losing Regionals in that locker room – before he came to her to finally get some answers about Tatsuya.
She sighed. Seirin had several issues to fix and difficulties to overcome before Winter Cup but she would make sure to do her best to help them as their manager... and as their friend. With her new resolve, she finally answered Riko-san's text with a short yet clear:
'We'll be stronger for Winter.'
A soft knock interrupted her thoughts as the last rays of light illuminated the room, blazing and warm orange making her slightly smile.
"You can come in."
She was surprised to find Kuroko-kun standing in front of the door. She had expected it to be her best friend instead but in retrospective she should have known: Taiga never knocked.
She remembered what had been briefly said last week when she had dinner with Taiga, pretty face, Midorima-kun and him about Aomine Daiki... If Taiga's defeat against him was painful, then Kuroko-kun's defeat was pure agony.
His eyes.
"Good evening, Kuroko-kun."
"Good evening, Masuko-san."
His voice was still plain but his eyes reflected sadness.
"You can sit on the bed," she offered with a small smile.
"Hai." He complied almost mechanically, without the usual polite 'I don't want to invade Masuko-san's space', making her even more worried.
"I brought Masuko-san light novels."
She took them gratefully, giving him back the previous books she borrowed from him.
"Thank you so much, you really are a good friend." She truly meant what she just said and she had hoped it would somehow cheer him up... but judging by his reaction, it just had the opposite effect. His expressionless mask crumbled and Miyuki cursed herself for her blunder.
Miyuki bit her lips, the guilt increasing. She hesitantly try to reach him with her arm. Seeing he didn't flinch, she delicately put a hand on his shoulders, trying to see his blue eyes now hidden by his hair.
"Kuroko-kun, are you okay?"
She cursed herself for the stupid question.
"I... I..." Of course, he was not. It was just a rhetorical everyone asked but she couldn't find anything else to say. She saw him tighten his hold on the sheets, teardrops falling on them. "I wanted to see Aomine-kun smile again. I wanted to fulfill my promise to Momoi-san. I– I failed as a friend."
It was much worse than she thought.
Seeing how he sill didn't move away the hand on his shoulder, she slowly came closer and cupped his face in her hands. Their eyes met and Miyuki's heart broke a little at this déjà vu.
"Kuroko-kun... Tetsuya. Do you know why every time Taiga asks me how can I always see you, I answer him 'it's the eyes'?"
He shook his head as a 'no'.
"It's because I can see how much you are suffering. I... I used to have the same eyes as you last year. I've also seen it in my friends' eyes and I sometimes wonder how could someone not see all this pain. Maybe it's because they have never been through it... or because they're too drowned in their own pain to notice."
He finally raised his head, watering blue eyes widened and she softly dried away the tears on his cheeks with her palm. She smiled and stroked his forehead with a soothing touch before finally letting go of his face.
"I'll help you, Taiga and Seirin to become stronger so we can be the number one in Japan. That is a promise... And you know what?" She winked, to his utter confusion. "I'll tell a secret. I'll tell you why I came to Seirin."
""What does Masuko-san mean?"
Taiga knew it. He had never asked since he trusted Emilie but he knew she never made a decision without something really precise in her head, no matter how stupid it looked (at first).
Her 'I came to be by your sides' hadn't a lie, but it was still too vague for someone as detailed like her. And she knew he knew it, which was why he ended up closely listening to that chat between Emilie and Kuroko behind the door...
That and also because Taiga wasn't sure he could handle the sight of Kuroko breaking down... Hearing it was bad enough. Such display of vulnerability from someone who seemed as impassive as his teammate was devastating.
"What's Kagamicchi doing?"
HOLY–
He jumped in surprise at the new voice. He was a hundred percent sure his heart stopped for a second.
He was even more annoyed to turn around and see Kise and Midorima were the ones responsible for this.
"Shhhh! Emilie's talkin' to Kuroko and– Why the hell are you even here?" he whispered.
There was no way in hell he would admit he was dying to hear Emilie's bigger scheme.
"We came to visit Masukocchi, of course."
"I came to help my father and Kise dragged me here."
"BULL–"
"I could have gone another school if I wanted to," Emilie started. Taiga would call on Midorima's bullshit later. He would finally get to know the whole truth. "I could have gotten a scholarship anywhere and I could have paid these schools myself but I don't care. A few of them have been trying to scout me in the past few months but only two schools got my attention. Seirin and Yosen, in Akita."
There was a small pause again and Kise made a weird face.
"Masuko-san's ring."
What was happening? Why is he talking about Emilie's ring?
"There are two items I always carry to remember the two promises I made: the medal I won at Nationals and this ring. I usually wear it around my neck but since I can't play sports now, I can put it on my finger." Taiga was ashamed he hadn't even noticed. "When we were younger, there were the three of us together: Taiga, Tatsuya and I."
"Tatsuya..." He gripped the necklace in his pocket. He was feeling like shit after losing. He didn't even deserve to wear that ring around his neck after that ridiculous performance.
"Kagami-kun owns one as well," Kuroko noted.
"You're right, but my ring doesn't have the same meaning as his nor looks the same. They gave it to me just before I left the United States as a promise... The promise that one day, the three of us be reunited again. Unfortunately, it's going to happen soon but not in a way I've planned."
What the hell does it mean?
"Tatsuya is coming back to Japan this summer, and he will be part of Yosen High's basketball team."
Yosen? Would he be in the same team as that giant he passed by in inter High stadium?
"Shit," he whispered to himself.
Hearing these words felt even worse than losing to Aomine. He didn't want to look at the other two guys with him but he felt something changed in their body language at the mention of Yosen.
That only confirmed Taiga's doubts.
"Tatsuya is a year older than us. I've known him before I even met Taiga and he's been the first friend I made in America... But Taiga and Tatsuya considered each other as brothers and it was good until it started to get complicated when it came to basketball. You can guess why." Taiga winced, playing Tatsuya's punch in his mind again and again. "I wasn't there when it escaled to the point of non-return. They both omitted to tell me the truth for a year and a half to spare my feelings because they're them and... I was going through some stuff myself." He would do it again if he had to. He hated the fact he had been lying to her but he saw no point in adding something else to worry about at the time. "It was partly why I didn't see it immediately, I guess I was in denial. But when I started feeling better, I put the pieces together and Tatsuya told me everything during Christmas holidays. After that, we had our first argument ever."
Emilie and Tatsuya... had a fight because of him?
No way, they had never argued during all eleven years of friendship. Ever. But still, it had happened for the first time because of him?!
He felt the metallic taste of blood invading his mouth.
"Shit..." He had bitten his lips too hard.
"I told Taiga I'll explain him everything once the Final League would be over but it might be too much... even for him."
"Shouldn't Kagami-kun be happy?"
"Taiga loves basketball more than anyone and he enjoys playing against strong opponents... But Taiga is also too caring with people who are close to him and that's why I know he would lose on purpose against Tatsuya. Again. In fact, Tatsuya is the only one he would lose against on purpose."
Ah. So she knew.
He wasn't even surprised.
"Taiga is the only one who can tell you in everything because it's his own story. However, I cannot let him lose on purpose again, especially if it's in an official match, especially if it's in a national tournament. I came to Seirin to make sure he would be ready to face Tatsuya but I must admit I'm worried."
"Does Masuko-san think Kagami-kun will lose?"
"Absolutely." Ouch. "As I said, I might be their best friend but they consider each other as brothers and that's why he couldn't let go of his admiration... Taiga is an only child so Tatsuya's presence was meaningful to him."
He would lose again if it meant he could keep their bond and she knew it.
How could he let go everything?
Tatsuya was the brother he never had. He was the one that taught him basketball, the first true friend he ever had... How could he let him go?
"... Because we were the ones to learn Taiga how to play basketball, after all."
He closed his eyes as he felt Midorima and Kise dumbly glare at him.
"When we met Taiga, we showed him how to play basketball and we became friends, but it was different between Taiga and Tatsuya and Taiga and I. Taiga has never admired me but he looked up to Tatsuya." That was probably one of the only times where he could say Emilie was wrong. Taiga admired her so, so much but not in the same way. Tatsuya was the one he looked up in basketball. Emilie was the one he looked up in life and it was as just as important as basketball. "It's undeniable Taiga is getting stronger and stronger, but Tatsuya is even better. I would even say he's on par with Midorima-kun."
Was is even possible? Midorima was a monster. Was it Alex's training?
"Tatsuya stopped his training with our mentor last year but he became so strong. If he would've stayed in the States, he would've been scouted by famous colleges. He wouldn't say it himself but I know he's one of the best shooting guards of his age."
She had the voice she was using when she was about to cry and Taiga felt guilty. He almost forgot she was hurt by this situation.
"I love Tatsuya... and I love Taiga. They're my best friend and I love them both with all my heart." She paused for a few seconds and took a deep breath. "They saved me when I needed to have someone to believe in me and I want to return the favor. I chose Seirin because Taiga needs me to be with him and Tatsuya came to understand that. The way Taiga had to come back to Japan had an enormous emotional impact on him for many reasons." His heart ached more and more. She knew he had hated being there all alone without his old man at some point and she came to Seirin to save his basketball. "And he was becoming so... blasé. I think you know what I'm talking about, aren't you?"
"Hai."
"I feared Taiga would begin to play only by himself and feel deep disinterest in basketball."
"... Like Aomine-kun."
"Um. It was a relief when I saw it wasn't too late after the game against Shutoku. It was something in less to think about but... Kise-kun told me one of your former teammates is in Yosen High as well."
It was silent in the room and everyone in the corridor tensed once again.
"Hai."
"I think there's still hope. If anyone could surpass everything and everyone, it's Taiga. I'll cheer for both of them but I'll to do my best as Seirin's manager and as Taiga's and Tatsuya's best friend to give Taiga an equal chance to win." He was sure she was doing that grin she did evey time she was cheering up on him since they were kids. He always found there was something so beautiful and broken in it that the thought of it made him smile as well.
"Masuko-san is really a good friend."
Of course, Midorima and Kise were surprised to hear Kuroko say that with emotion but he heard the way she comforted him. He knew Kuroko was deeply affected by the defeat against Touou but Taiga had no idea how hopeless he felt.
"You truly are a good friend Tetsuya, never doubt that. We all have our rights on wrongs. Even without knowing your history, I figured out why you said you wanted to beat the said 'Generation of Miracles' so fervently. You want your friends back, don't you?"
They had talked about it a few days ago and he guessed it too.
For someone so deadpan, he had some pretty deep emotions.
"Hai."
The Generation of Miracles were seriously a bunch of screwed up kids.
"Then I'll help you and Seirin, so I can see you and everyone smile again."
He heard a clear and soft sound, almost like a music to his ears. It was Kuroko's laugh.
"That's better, Tetsuya. I hope you don't bother if I call you by your first name... I'm used to use people's first names. You can do the same if you want."
"Hai... Miyuki-san."
"I'm glad to hear that." She let out a laugh, a genuine one. "Once I'll be allowed to go home, you should come visit us, Taiga and I. We can eat dinner after practice or breakfast before school. Don't worry, I know Taiga told you to part away but it's only temporary as you probably guessed." He wanted to become stronger, to not depend on Kuroko. He had asked Emilie to help him with extra training. Taiga wanted to stop being so useless to Kuroko and Seirin anymore, just like he had been against that bastard.
He wanted to become a good ace. A true ace, just like Emilie did a few months ago.
"I've been meaning to ask you... How is Taiga doing in classes without me?"
Emilie was still number one at changing subject randomly before things got too personal.
"Kagami-kun always sleeps through classes."
KUROKO!
Taiga gritted his teeth. That bastard denounced him!
The only upside was that Kuroko seemed okay again, Taiga would take Kuroko's banter rather than him crying.
"When I'll be back, I'll make sure he stays awake at least half a day." He shivered. He could feel she had that evil smirk on her face. "And if you think you're not included, I'll make sure you stay awake as well."
He laughed and put his hand on his mouth to avoid being heard.
Good!
"I do miss Masu – Miyuki-san. Math classes are less amusing without Miyuki-san's presence." Taiga had caught these two playing those weird deductions games a few times in class: it was unfair because he was the only one to get caught sleeping while they were playing.
"I do miss it though I still dislike math... That makes me think some of my teammates are on exam period, poor them."
That was right, Emilie even kept tutoring them on Skype despite the timezone difference.
"How is Miyuki-san's team like?"
"They're... colorful and challenging as their captain... former captain but each one of them is amazing, both as persons and as athletes. I hope you'll meet them one day."
'Colorful' was just a code as 'pain in the ass' to be honest, much like Kise in that aspect.
"Shin-chan! There you are!" a new voice shouted behind them.
WHAT. THE. HELL.
Did everyone get the word to go there or what?
"Isn't that Takao-kun's voice outside," he could hear his best friend ask from her room.
Crap, Taiga was going to die for eavesdropping on them! But first, he would make sure everyone would go down with him.
"Huh? What are you three doing in front of that door?" Takao asked.
If Midorima wasn't going to kill that hawk eye guy, then Taiga would do it.
"What are you doing here?"
"I should be the one asking this! And why is your sister with you nanodayo?"
Taiga finally saw the little girl behind him. She was around ten and had the same eyes as Takao.
"Yachiru-chan wanted to see your sister so I came here to find you. You spend lots of time here after training, that's weird."
She bowed politely, "Hello, Midorima-san and his friends."
"WE'RE NOT FRIENDS!"
It was at least something they all agreed on.
"Everyone? What are you doing here?"
Taiga jumped in fear, just like the rest. "GAH KUROKO! Don't scare us like that."
Kuroko shifted uncomfortably and specifically avoided eye contact with him, something that never happened until their defeat against Touou.
"Did you hear everything?"
Taiga scratched his head but still looked straight to his teammate's eyes. "I... Yeah. The others didn't hear the start, though. Sorry 'bout that, Kuroko."
"It's okay but Kagami-kun should say that to Miyuki-san."
"I don't mind, actually."
Taiga jumped in fear for the umpteenth of the day. "WHA– Emilie, stop it! You two are going to kill me, you're becoming like Kuroko!"
Seriously, how the hell could she even not be heard with crutches?
She took that solemn look every time she was going to apologize and whispered in English. "I'm sorry you had to learn it this way, Taiga."
He bent down so he could say eye to eye before bowing to apologize.
"I'm sorry for bringing you in the middle of our mess."
Emilie sighed but still patted his head with fondness. "It's okay."
But it's not.
"It's not your fault and it wasn't Tatsuya's neither. It just had to happen."
That didn't make sense but he didn't make a comment when he saw the hint of sadness in her eyes nor when she let a kiss on his cheek.
"Masuko Dubois Miyuki Emilie-san?"
That clear and tiny voice tore apart his puzzled look away from Emilie, surprised to hear his best friend's full name from that little girl.
Emilie blinked a few times but still confirmed her identity. "That would be me, indeed."
He saw a hint of surprise and confusion in her eyes as well.
"It's really you. Kami-sama, I'm... It's a honor to meet Masuko-san!"
"Yachiru-chan, how do you know her?" Takao asked.
Shintaro frowned. He thought for a second it had been Takao who mentioned Masuko to his little sister for some reason but it obviously wasn't the case.
"Onii-chan, I already told you about that great captain from the team I like that won French Nationals after only existing a year."
"But I thought that player was a guy?"
"No, but the other members are all guys," Masuko specified in a calm voice.
"WHAT?"
A nurse who was walking near them in the corridor was about to scold them but in the end she gave up on it, probably because she saw him, the chief's son.
"It would be better if you all enter in the room so we could discuss peacefully," Masuko proposed.
He, along with the others followed her into her room. He was satisfied to see she was doing well with her crutches, especially comparing to what happened almost two weeks ago. Shintaro preferred not to recall what transpired from that confusing and embarrassing event, it was better for his own peace of mind.
He sat on his usual spot while Kagami and Kise were lying down like savages on the bed (as usual, to Shintaro's dismay).
"Yachiru-chan, isn't it?"
She nodded. "I'm Masuko Emilie but you can call me Emilie or Miyuki."
"I wouldn't... I don't want to be rude towards Masuko-san."
Mausko made a small grimace Shintaro had already seen when she was scolding Kagami for sleeping instead of reading his lesson during her tutoring classes.
"Fine, but if you feel more comfortable later, please do so," she conceded.
"Hai... Masuko-san."
To see such an energic child like Yachiru hold all that respect for someone was close to abnormal.
"Great. And to answer to Takao-kun's question, I was indeed in a men's team and I was their captain."
"But... how?"
Masuko started to touch a strand of hair, a nervous habit Shintaro came to notice for some reason. "When I was a child, I used to think being a girl was a burden because not matter how well you do you're not recognized as a man's equal but... I've met people that made me change my mind and this team was part of these people. Most of them have known from the start I'm a girl but they still made me their captain so... I played as a guy to be with them."
"Masukocchi really is amazing."
Kise had bragged through texts about Masuko showing him clips of her with her previous team. It unnerved Shintaro for unknown reasons.
"Crazy if you ask me," Kagami corrected. He had to agree with the red-haired for once.
"I absolutely don't know what you mean, Taiga," Masuko denied.
"I have France Football's last issue, Masuko-san's team is on the cover."
Masuko grinned to everyone's puzzlement, "I never got to see the real thing, can I?"
"Of course!"
He gave a look at the cover and saw Masuko in the middle of the cover with her teammates lifting the trophy and celebrating their victory.
"That's a good photography."
"Woah, Masukocchi is photogenic. Have you thought about being a model?"
"It's not my thing." She seemed to avoid mentioning something. "I prefer to be the one behind the camera or the pen."
"The articles were well-written."
"Yachiru-chan can read French as well?"
"I could understand most of it thanks to our sensei who read it to us," Takao's little sister stated proudly.
"That's really great," she said while patting Yachiru's head.
Kagami frowned. "Let me read it, what does this thing say? I hope it's not trash talking again."
Shintaro raised his eyebrows and resisted the urge to snort, "You can read French?"
"Are you trying to get into a fight with me, bastard? I've got this smartass as best friend so of course I can."
"You..." But then, he remembered the time where he read the letter from Masuko's former teammate that night... It was probably written in French. And he also heard the name of that magazine there.
Shintaro was mildly impressed by the fact Kagami could directly translate a French text in Japanese.
"Taiga, vocabulary, please," Masuko chided him as an automatic reply.
"Hmf... Hey, that's us!"
Kagami was pointing out a picture with Masuko, him and that other man who was Masuko's best friend when they were not older than 10.
"They really made a biography about me, I thought they were exaggerating..." Masuko seemingly muttered to herself.
"I bet it was Uncle who gave them most of the pictures..." Kagami paused, a grimace on his face. "Tch, I can't believe these guys put this, though."
"They asked me before doing here, I hope you don't mind."
"I don't, it's just..."
"What... is it? Masukocchi, Kagamicchi?"
The atmosphere was becoming awkward though they did not know why.
"It's... complicated. My last year in middle school was... eventful. There was an incident and we ended up at the court," she explained with a shaky laugh.
"..."
Nobody dared to speak.
Kagami put his hand around her shoulders. "You don't have to talk about it."
"It's okay, Taiga. The whole country knew so my friends in Japan can know about it as well." She said nothing for seconds but Shintaro had never seen her so small and melancholic. It reminded him of that night in the rain where she offered him her umbrella. "My last year in middle school had been difficult because we had a new coach who... didn't treat all of us well. I had been chosen as captain by our previous coach and our previous captain but he... He took it away from me. He targeted a few teammates and I morally at practice, we had been harrassed every time he was around. Emotional abuse, they called it. It... took me months to realize it was abuse." She started playing with the ring in her hand as Kagami squeezed her harder. "I did what I had to do to denounce him without any contestations possible, especially after our last Nationals." She had something feral in her eyes that he had only seen once when they had met, when she told him not to underestimate Seirin. "It's okay, he got punished even if it wasn't as much as I wanted to. After everything we've been through, there's a distance between my former teammates and I. But I still want to see them and play with them again... I'll do it!"
No one said a word, not knowhing how to react before Yachiru asked another candid question.
"Are the rumors true, Masuko-san?"
Masuko frowned before asking, "Which one?" As if there were too many rumors about her. It might have been the case even if Shintaro didn't understand why a polite and proper girl like Masuko could be a prime target of rumors.
"About the national team!"
"That one is true," she replied, winking at Yachiru.
What was that?
The mood of the room quickly changed and Masuko was now smirking. It seemed everyone had the same question in mind except Kagami.
"That's amazing and... there's a recent rumor about Durant-san being selected in the U18 French Men's National Team squad next season."
"Knowing how talented Jean is, it was about to happen."
Kagami made a grimace. "Tch. That guy, on the French national team..."
"Taiga..." She hit him with her elbow but he didn't shout. He grumbled things in English, the only understandable being: 'Emilie... Guy... Jerk...'
"But Durant-san is so dreamy and so strong and he has beautiful eyes and he's the new captain of the team."
"WHAT? You named HIM as the new captain?" Kagami shouted.
"Come on Taiga, you're being biased. He's the best player among us to be named as our new captain. He has charisma and great leadership skills and you know it."
"No, you were. You led them to Nationals and made them a real team."
"Maybe, maybe not but admit he's a great footballer at least."
"NEVER."
Even Shintaro knew their little best friends quarrel wasn't going anywhere.
"Is Masuko-san in a relationship with Durant-san?"
He turned his face to look at Yachiru before looking back Masuko.
Kagami was choking with his own saliva while Masuko was uncharacteristically flustered as all eyes went on her.
"You could say that I'm not romantically involved with him... anymore."
Shintaro's mouth silently opened. Masuko's romantic relationships had never crossed Shintaro's mind until now.
"I knew it! The others thought it was your other teammate or one of your rivals but I knew it was Durant-san!"
"Wait, my rivals? You mean..."
"But why aren't you together anymore, you looked good together and you always compliment each other in interviews."
"As if..." Kagami grumbled.
"Taiga, I told you there's no need to beat him up, we broke up on a mutual agreement."
She told Yachiru to come closer with her hand and she shyly complied.
It was the first time he could qualify someone in Takao's family as shy.
Masuko ruffled Yachiru's hair again and smiled.
"Yachiru-chan, getting to the end of something means reaching the beginning of something else and the fact I'm not with him doesn't mean I don't love him anymore. It's just that the bond we have now is different than it used to be but we're still very good friends. Do you understand?"
Yachiru frantically shook her head. "If it's still making you sad," Masuko continued, "know that we broke up after Regionals and it obviously didn't affect our way of playing in Nationals." He saw the glance she gave to Kagami before looking back at Yachiru. "He's the man that made me fall in love with football again. I don't know how to describe it but once you've hated something you used to love so much, your love becomes even stronger once you gain it back. I don't know if you understand but –"
"I do."
Shintaro almost snapped his neck to see how Takao was now covering his mouth with his hand as he realized his mistep.
"I guess Yachiru-chan plays football as well."
He knew what Masuko was doing but he sent a look to Takao to tell him they would have to talk. His teammate gulpled.
"Hai," Yachiru replied in an enthusiastic voice as she had no idea about her brother'sincoming doom.
"And what post do you play?"
"Left winger," she proudly stated.
"We have the same post, that's amazing. If you want, once I'll be able to play again, I'll show you some tricks I learned."
"For real? Masuko-san would do that..."
"Of course, you can even bring your friends. It will be in a few months since I'm still injured but I'll tell Midorima-kun who'll tell your brother."
"Midorima-kun?"
"Midorima-kun is one of my friends." Their eyes finally met and she smiled. He said nothing but as stupid as it was, he felt satisfaction in hearing that being stated in front of everyone.
"That's... Awesome! Come on onii-chan, we gotta go back home! I have to tell everything to Sayu-chan!"
Sayuri? His sister?
Right, they were in the same club.
"But I thought you wanted to see her."
"It's getting too late so I'll just phone her."
He looked at his watch. Why was it always happening with Masuko?
"I'm coming with you, Takao."
"Are you sure, Shin-chan... It's like and I sure you have better things to do, you know–"
"I said I'm coming," he said with a note of finality.
Kazunari knew he was screwed.
So, so screwed.
He could feel Midorima's eyes on him since he accidentally blurt out he had hated basketball at one point before starting to learn to love the sport again. He knew he would have to explain himself... So Kazunari did what he knew best: rambling and rambling again to distract him.
"Masuko-san really is something, isn't she?"
Yachiru-chan nodded, "Of course onii-chan! Masuko-san is so nice and so pretty and her football style is beautiful."
He pouted, "I never heard you praise someone like that, not even me."
"Onii-chan is onii-chan but I want to be like Masuko-san when I'll be older."
"But how do you even know her. She played in France, right?" he asked.
That distraction was more than welcome, thank you Masuko Miyuki.
"I've discovered her when our teacher asked us to do a presentation at school. Sensei wanted us to present a female role model. I got paired with Sayu-chan and we wanted to present a footballer. We saw a cool text she published in French and translated in Japanese. Masuko-san proved you can be a star wherever you come from!"
Yachiru-chan was a very energic kid who was also very clever, a fact he was proud to show off to everyone, including Midorima.
However, the last sentence unsettled him.
"Huh?"
"Masuko-san is from the deprived areas of her city."
"Is that so?" Seirin's manager had the looks and the manners of the perfect proper girl so he thought she was as rich as Midorima. He was wrong, Kazunari misjudged her.
"That's also why her team is famous!"
They finally reached home and he took off his shoes as he shouted, "I'm home!"
"Welcome home!" Okaa-san came and immediately saw Midorima (the guy was a giant, after all).
"Midorima-kun, I didn't expect you here."
Midorima bowed in front of His mother. "Hello, Takao-san. I apologize for coming with no notice again."
"So polite, as ever! Just come and eat with us, food is already ready."
Midorima simply nodded and followed them. It happened frequently since they ended practice pretty late and it was sometimes him who came at Midorima's place to eat dinner.
He had thought it was weird to see him leave practice ealier than usual for the past two weeks... Now he got his answer. He was obviously off to visit Masuko-san despite his claims about 'helping his father' at the hospital.
He sure would ask about that matter after their talk... if he would ever come out alive from that.
While okaa-san put the plates on the tables, Yachiru-chan proudly announced, "Okaa-san, I met Masuko-san today!"
"Really? I didn't know she was in Japan. How was it? Did you talk to her?"
Kazunari blinked. How come his own mom know about Seirin's manager achievements before him? "Okaa-san, you know her too?"
"Your sister can't stop gushing about her and she showed me some videos, she's a very talented young woman. She's also beautiful, you should totally go out with her, Kazunari," she winked.
He almost died because of the food stuck in his throat.
Kazunari scoffed for at least thirty seconds before replying back. "WHAT? I don't even really know her. I just know that she's Seirin's manager! You should ask Shin-chan if you want to know more about her," he finished slyly. If he was going to die, then he would die for a good reason.
As expected, Midorima got the 'Takao...' angry glance but said 'Shin-chan' answered anyway.
"What do you want to know about her, nanodayo?"
He looked at him, shocked that he had replied instead of ignoring him. It was probably because it okaa-san and Yachiru-chan were present.
"How is she doing at school?"
"Good. She had the capacity to tutor the idiots that Kagami and Kise and they managed to get good marks."
"Kise as in Kaijo's Kise? Midorima-kun's friend from middle school," his mom inquired.
Midorima seemed like he just swallowed a lemon at the mention of 'Kise' and 'friend from middle school'. Kazunari would have laughed out loud if he wasn't so stressed about his upcoming discussion with him.
"Hm."
He totally needed to catch up with whatever was going on.
"How did you two become friends?"
Midorima's shoulders tensed up and Kazunari had the urge to laugh again.
"We... bonded during her stay at the hospital."
"So, how is she? I mean, to be Kagami's best friend, she must be something," Kazunari asked.
Midorima frowned, as if he didn't know how to answer. "She's... confusing to say the least but she's patient to even be able to stand near Kagami and Kise and tutor them without getting crazy." Kazunari snorted. If anything, these two were the most normal ones among them. "She's overly kind and polite with everyone. It's annoying, nanodayo."
He stared at him, not knowing what to say. It was seriously the closest thing to a praise coming from Midorima's mouth and it was about Masuko-san.
"Looks like someone has a crush," Kazunari continued to tease him.
"As if! Masuko-san is a... friend." Kazunari didn't know what sounded the weirdest coming from Midorima's mouth: the suffix 'san' (because he never used suffixes, except for adults) or the word 'friend''.
Even to Midorima, 'friend' sounded weird in his own mouth.
"Awww, that's so cute, Shin-chan!"
"Shut up, Takao," he hissed.
"Boys, please. Not here," mom scolded them.
"Hai."
"I apologize."
They continued to eat while okaa-san asked about trivial things like the review test and practice before they finished their meal.
"You can both go upstairs while I finish preparing the dessert."
Midorima and he nodded, albeit Kazunari knew what was coming.
"Let's talk, Takao."
That was it. He was going to die.
"Okay... Let's just go upstairs."
Once they reached his room, Midorima didn't even comment on how shambolic it was (for once).
"So..."
Midorima snapped. "Stop fooling around and tell me."
"Tell you what, Shin-chan?"
"I said stop fooling around, Takao!" Midorima repeated, his voice getting louder.
Well, at least he tried. "I get it, i get it! So, remember what I told that time in the gymnasium, about how I played and lost against you in middle school..." Midorima nodded. "I said I continued to practice even after I retired." He nodded again. "I lied. I resigned, just like the rest of the team."
Midorima frowned, as if he was trying to resolve a riddle. "I don't find it amusing, Takao. Stop joking around."
"I'm not joking," Kazunari finally said in a solemn tone. Midorima finally saw he wasn't kidding, so he continued. "Look, Midorima..." It was the closest thing to shock he ever got from Midorima. He had stopped calling him 'Midorima' outloud in late April and had been using ironically 'Shin-chan' ever since. "To be honest, every game you played, every people you played against in these games were left pretty heart-broken. Most of them joined other clubs than basketball in highschool."
Kazunari couldn't even touch a basketball anymore at first. He had tried out the football club since he also liked that sport thanks to his little sister but quickly enough, he came to realize nothing could compared to basketball. So he converted his shame and disappointment over an overwhelming desire to get revenge against Midorima Shintaro... That was until he entered in Shutoku and saw the cosmic joke he got from the universe.
"B– But I... we didn't..." Seeing Midorima feeling so shitty was horrible. The fact itself that he was stuttering with trembling lips was disturbing. It was also disturbing since he looked like he was about flee at any second. Midorima was anything but a coward.
"When I told you I don't hold a grudge against you anymore, that was the truth. We're teammates now, you're my partner."
Kazunari wasn't even using 'Shin-chan' to mock him anymore but as a friendly endearment. He truly came to appreciate the guy no matter how weird he was.
It took a moment for Midorima to finally come to his senses again. to Kazunari's surprise, he gave him a rare smile (it was more like a smirk but that was close enough).
"Right. Teammates," he finally said.
Kazunari breathed out. The discussion didn't go too bad despite Midorima's small breakdown that could only make Kazunari guess that Teiko did a number on him.
"You know, you could've told me you befriended with Masuko-san. That girl is interesting. And she's sneaky. Kinda cute too." He knew she had been the one who more or less helped Kuroko to figure out how to fight against his eyes though she didn't say anything about it.
That was so weird like, how did she do it?
"... 'Cute'?"
Kazunari raised an eyebrow. Midorima clearly didn't hear about the 'sneaky' part.
And why did he even look puzzled? It was one of the first things anyone would notice about her.
"Well yeah, she's not bad to look at. She's got pretty eyes and a nice face. Plus, she knows about basketball and plays another sport, that's cool." And she also knew how it felt like to hate the sport she loved so much and still became champion after that. Kazunari really wanted to be able to do that too. "Doesn't Shin-chan think she's cute?" He saw Midorima slightly blush. He stared at him, speechless. "You do find her cute, don't you?" he stated in a slight daze at the sight of a blushing Midorima.
Midorima made that strangled tsundere noise he made every time he didn't want to admit something.
"..."
Kazunari put a hand on his shoulder, trying and failing not to laugh.
"It's okay Shin-chan, she's cute! I mean, like your former manager! Is it like a thing to be cute and badass to be able to be manager?"
Riiiiiing.
"Hm."
Shintaro groped around the bedside table to turn off the alarm clock and put his glasses on, as he did every morning at the same hour.
7:30 A.M.
He brushed his teeth while listening to Oha Asa on the radio.
Cancer was number one today and he had his lucky item, meaning his day couldn't go bad... but he couldn't stop thinking about what Takao said last night.
He knew Teiko's way was wrong and even if he had never actively played these stupid games about who would score the most, he did nothing about it.
That was his sin.
That was probably the true reason why Shintaro came to see Kuroko's game against Kaijo... He wanted to make sure the phantom player was doing okay because he knew Kuroko had been emotionally drained by last year, which happened just a few months months ago. He also knew his defeat against Aomine had been painful... Even Shintaro had felt uneasy just by watching the game.
He didn't understand what Kuroko wanted to accomplish yet but it was a relieve he had found Seirin and Kagami in his path.
Despite his stupidity, Kagami had potential and most importantly, he made the right choices. It was certainly because of her.
Masuko.
A rather strange girl but more mature on an intellectual and emotional level than most of her age. Shintaro didn't know much about friendship but it was obvious to anyone's eyes she was a good friend. She was even enough stubborn to try to teach him what friendship was.
He put his white shirt and the rest of his uniform, buttoned the top way to his neck, before carefully bandaging his left hand. Taking his bag and his lucky item, Shintaro went downstairs. Surprisingly, he saw that his sister was already sitting there, waiting for breakfast.
"God morning, Okaa-san, Otoo-san, Sayuri."
His parents greeted him back and Sayuri was looking at him accusingly.
What? Why?
"Nii-san, why didn't you tell me Masuko-san is your friend?"
"Shintaro, you have a lady friend? Or maybe a girlfriend?" his mother asked, surprised.
He looked at Okaa-san, speechless by such assumption. "She's not my– Nevermind."
Correcting her was useless.
Otoo-san's head tilted slightly as Shintaro looked at him, puzzlement on his face.
"Do you mean Masuko Miyuki-san?"
Sayuri asked, "Does Otoo-san know her as well?"
Why does everyone know her?
"Of course Sayuri, Masuko-san is one of the hospital's patient after all. I got reports her injury and her reeducation. She's making remarkable progress."
Oh, right. She was still a patient.
It was true. Masuko was now walking with her crutches without major difficulties anymore.
"Yachiru-chan called me last night! I didn't know nii-san visited Masuko-san almost every day."
How did these even come to be in the same class? Of all people she could have chosen to always be with, it had to be Takao's sister, Yachiru.
At least, despite having some traits Takao had, Yachiru was more polite than her brother and didn't tend to stupidly laugh at every ocassion.
Otoo-san smirked to his utter confusion.
"That explains many things..."
"..." Saying nothing was the best option. His father was a very no-nonsense person, meaning that a smirk form him was never something good. Shintaro grabbed his school bag. "I should go to school now."
"Do so, Shintaro. I'll probably see you at the hospital after your basketball training," his father replied.
"Hmf." Kami, he hated his father's patronizing look that Shintaro himself usually gave to other people.
As usual, classes ended 4 P.M and he went to practice, staying an hour after it officially ended to practice shoots, Takao still in the gymnasium with him.
"Shin-chan, you're going to visit Masuko-san, right?"
He watched him in suspicion. "Why are you asking that?"
"Then I'm going with you, of course."
"WHAT?"
"Come on Shin-chan, hurry up! I know you can't wait to see her."
There were days... Every day would be more fitting to say, where he wanted to strangle him.
There was nothing to do with that decision since he knew that Takao he would come no matter what he said.
"Ride the rickshaw, Takao."
"For the last time Zahi, '-kun' is generally used for males like colleagues or classmates and '-chan' is used in an effective way for females and sometimes for childhood friends. And yes, they almost always use the last name to call other people, Japanese are almost too polite."
She sighed. Zahi though being a really good friend was also hard to handle as a captain... She could feel Jean's pain who was just behind him.
It was one of the only moments in June where they managed had time to talk on Skype, part of the team being on intense working reviewing sessions to take le baccalauréat end of high school test. The timezone difference didn't help either. She still managed to tutor them through phone calls and Skype, reading them History books or analysis of French texts she made on extra time and after two hours today, they took a break. She decided to indulge their curiosity and chatted about Japan and its many traditions.
"Like you! You're way too polite too!"
"But I wanna call you Emilie-kun!" Zahi whined.
"There's no need to change the way you call me. It's already enough to have learned Japanese for me. All of you. Fadel, once you finish your meal, three laps for you."
Laps were useful when she wanted to get revenge or punish one of the guys.
It was now Fadel's turn to whine. "WHAT... But whyyyyy?"
She ignored him and his attempt to get a new bargain to avoid punishment on purpose or he wouldn't stop whining.
"Emilie-kun kinda fits you, I'm sure the ladies will agree," another voice added.
She rolled her eyes.
"Jean please, not you too."
She heard a firm yet polite knock. It was Midorima-kun of course, on time as always.
"You can come in, Midorima-kun," she said loudly enough to be heard.
"Did I hear a 'kun'? Is he one of your classmates? Or a new basketball friends of yours? I wanna know!"
Ignoring Zahi was wiser, yes. Nevertheless, it was fascinating to see how he could be even more energic than Kise-kun even after working for two hours.
"Is it Taiga? Is he here? TAIGA, FIGHT ME!" Jean shouted.
Miyuki rolled her eyes again. "Taiga will probably come later." She told him to go and assist to Seirin's practice every day although she knew he didn't want to go.
Of course, Taiga was wrong: he was worthy to be called Seirin's ace which was why she promised in exchange of getting detailed data about Tatsuya, he would have to stay by Seirin's sides and not alone as his own injury healed.
"Oh."
All Taiga and Jean did every time they saw each other was arguing and screaming 'fight me!' in French or English or even a mix of both and yet, they were disappointed when they didn't get to see each other.
Boys...
As the door opened, she was surprised to see Takao-kun with Midorima-kun. The grin on his face contrasted with Midorima-kun's grim expression.
"Yo, Masuko-san!"
"Midorima-kun took Takao-kun with him as well, what a surprise." She turned back to her laptop to say. "I shall let you properly eat your lunch, guys. Work well and if you ever need help again, text me. See you at the results for APB!"
"Say Taiga to better become a champion too!" Jean shouted.
"Hey, Emilie's new friends! We can't see you on the screen but know that Emilie is one hell of a scary girl."
"Scary as fuck."
"Sadistic captain who loves giving laps."
Oh God, why.
"Guys, please," she half-begged them to shut up.
"But she's also like the coolest girl so treat her well."
"Arrêtez!"
Stop.
"GIRLFRIEND MATERIAL!"
"For heaven's sake Jean, not again..."
"What? Just stating the truth because I, her ex boyfriend, could attest you of the fact that–"
"Okay, now I should leave you to your activities." She closed the laptop to ignore whatever idiocy they were about to say. She coughed slightly before finally properly greet the two new guests. "Hello, Midorima-kun and Takao-kun. I apologize for... my teammates' remarks."
Maybe having them learn Japanese wasn't a good idea after all...
"No worries, they look cool." Takao-kun seemed entertained and Miyuki had no idea whether it was good or bad.
"Takao-kun is right although handling all of them is exhausting sometimes." She couldn't believe herself she named Jean as the new captain... But he was probably the most serious among them even if it didn't seem to be the case (sometimes even herself doubted it). He also had good leadership and good mentoring skills.
"I didn't know Masuko-san had glasses."
She took them off and detached her ponytail. "I only wear them to rest my eyes when I'm reading. So, how did practice go?" Midorima-kun bent down to allow her to put the usual peck on his cheeks as a greeting.
"It went well as usual."
"That's great and how– Um, why is Takao-kun... blushing?"
"No way, I'm not blushing at all!"
It could have been convincing if his voice didn't go an octave higher.
It took a moment to understand the reason. Of course, it was the cultural differences between France and Japan.
It was always that.
She sighed. "I tend to forget how French and Japanese cultures are different, so I do apologize if this kind of thing makes you uncomfortable. It's just the way we usually greet friends or even acquaintances in France."
"It's okay... That's just... kinda unusual to me, I guess."
Her mom wasn't exaggerating when she said physical contact between two people, even in a relationship was limited in public. If even Takao-kun reacted like that...
"I see. Midorima-kun had the same reaction the first time we greeted this way as well."
Her last sentence visibly erased the discomfort Shutoku's point guard felt to Miyuki's own relief.
"I bet Shin-chan was blushing like crazy pffffff–"
"Shut up Takao! You're not any better!"
Miyuki shrugged. "I found it cute, somehow."
"I AM NOT CUTE!"
She raised her eyebrows at Midorima-kun's vehement protest. "It's amusing how I always get such strong reaction from guys whenever I associate them with the word 'cute'... Anyway, if you want to stay here to eat something, Taiga will arrive soon with food."
"Hm."
"Wait, are you sure Kagami can cook?" Takao-kun asked with scepticism.
"Of course he does since he lives alone. We're cooking together whenever we're not eating at Maji Burger."
"Does Masuko-san live alone?"
"My family is still in France because the current academic year isn't over there yet and there are things to be done before coming here. I was supposed to come here in August with them but with this injury..."
"Yo, Emilie, Midorima, what's– Why the hell Takao's here?" the newcomer said. Her best friend.
"Yo!"
"Come on Taiga, if you could get along with Midorima-kun, you can do it with Takao-kun as well."
"... Fine. Wanna eat?"
Taiga sat down on the bed and planted a kiss on her cheek. She looked at the food he brought.
She sighed.
American food, as usual.
"Yeah, I'd eat anything after the practice we had!"
"Taiga, the team greet you and wish you to become a national champion as well."
"Was that from that bastard? Did he pick a fight again?"
Here we go again.
"Jean and you are unbelievable, how could you even pick a fight even when being thousands of miles apart from each other?"
"That guy's more annoying than Kise and Midorima put together!"
Taiga was visibly unaware Jean and he had the same petty and childish attitude.
That remark clearly offended Midorima-kun. "Oi! Don't compare me to Kise."
"Men all have such strange way to show their affection, especially Jean and you."
"Like hell, he's not my friend."
"Of course. In case you want to know how is Mister 'not' your friend doing, he's working hard for the French literature final exams and he's preparing the preliminaries for next month at the same time."
She knew he could manage it, though.
"Ah yeah, you told Junior Years are having exams too there. They're preparing for Euro stage group, right?"
"That's right."
Leading her team to the Euros by winning Nationals had been her last gesture for the team as their captain. She had no regret even if it meant she worsened her injury.
"Is that guy your senpai?"
She forgot Takao-kun knew about her team.
"Jean is a year above I, Takao-kun, but he's not what people here call a 'senpai'. Such thing doesn't exist in France."
Taiga agreed. "Yeah, I still don't understand that hierarchy thing."
"I must say I find some of Japanese traditions confusing system but Jean and I were partners so we considered each other as equals."
Trust and equality were the most important elements that made their partnership on the field work.
"I still can't believe you named him captain, what were you thinking?"
Part of herself agreed but she knew she still made the best choice. "Exactly, I used my brain. Come on Taiga, do you think I would choose Zahi? Or Fadel?"
"You're right... But what about him?"
It was true Théo would make a good captain but Jean and she decided to give it time.
"He's not mature enough yet but he was named vice-captain."
"That's great." She knew Taiga had a fondness for him, knowing he had been through the same thing as her.
"I've always wanted to know... How a captain choose their successor?"
Takao-kun looked genuinely curious about the matter. She didn't mind trying to explain.
"The captain isn't necessarily the best player but is the main pillar of the team. They know the team and its members, their strengths and weaknesses. I don't think there is a precise type of captain because it depends on of how the team is and wants to be but a captain must assume the result of the match, whether victory or defeat. You can say it's both a blessing and a burden but the most important thing is to believe in each member, no matter how naturally gifted they are. If someone has all these qualifications or at least most of them, then the post is granted."
Silence was the last thing she expected, knowing how reactive they were. Taiga finally filled the silence.
"You sure you're fifteen?"
"Watch your mouth, Taiga," she warned him before throwing a pillow at him.
"Ouch!" He was fortunate the pillow was the closest thing to her hand because she should have thrown her book in his face. "It wasn't an insult, it's just you're saying amazing words and all."
"Yeah, Masuko-san is awesome."
"Oh." She blushed, embarrassed by such compliments from Taiga and Takao-kun. "You know, Taiga can say amazing speeches as well, once he made a speech about –"
"DON'T, YOU BASTARD!"
A/N: When I said this chapter would come more quickly than usual, I was not kidding! Took me less than a month, haha, but it is because I am having a two week holidays (for Halloween). The hospital arc is nearing its end (Masuko would be happy to learn that) meaning summer training camp will make its apparition! I finally have the opportunity to put more Takao and also his sister and Midorima's, young girls and ladies playing sports, here football need to be more represented seriously and I think it is a good thing for young girls to have FEMALES models who can understand the struggles they are going through and show them they can do it.
For the traditional explanation of this chapter's title, 'our rights and wrongs' refers to not only what happened at Teiko (which is an important part of the story) and how Kuroko was not entirely 'innocent', meaning he had a part of responsibility as well as well as Masuko for what happened to her team in middle school (not the part about her coach of course but other things) but both of them are trying their best to repair their wrongs with rights.
This chapter also permitted to discover a little about Masuko's team and some of its eccentric members. I will NOT make a Masuko/Midorima/Jean love triangle, it would be pointless not to mention boring. As Masuko said, they broke up on mutual terms and yes, two people that used to be together romantically can remain good friends. Jean is an interesting and funny character, you will see.
Time to answer to comment(s):
magane-chan: I'm glad I have a regular reader! I love writing fluffy scenes in the middle of angst and scenes where I try to create some character development haha ! I think Masuko/Midorima is a cute friendship that can blossom into more with time and bonding. I'm happy you like the Masuko/Kise dynamic, I try to write manga!Kise since anime!Kise is a simplified version of him and Kise really has one of the best character developments in knb (with Kagami). Sorry if Kise wasn't here a lot compared to the last chapter but I wanted to focus and other characters as well (here finally appears Takao again and also family members!).
I would like to thank the people who have favorited or is following this story after I published the previous chapter: Izuminka1992, griffindordorkunimitsuerza, Starawesomeness2, Tsuna De Vongola Decimo.
Once again, thank you for the fav/following guys ! Don't hesitate to post comments, I'll make sure to answer them on next chapter's A/N :)