A/N:

Hello all!

OMG! We reached the 100th mark for followers aaahhh! ;A; I couldn't believe it... Thank you so so much for following and reading this story of mine T-T I'm very happy right now! Also to the 75 people, thanks a lot for making this one of your favorites fics! :) And of course, I also thank everyone else, who even bothered to click on this fic and read it. You're all amazing!

Anyway, I apologize for being a bit late in my update. This chapter took a while because this covers a lot of events, in a span of time! Some important plot points will happen here ;) So, I won't let you guys wait...here is the chapter! This is for all the support you guys are giving me~


A gentle breeze and cherry blossom petals fluttered down, with some settling on a white-haired teen's hands. It reminded the girl of the time snow fell, instead. It was the night she has been promised a gift by the person she likes.

But that was more than a month ago. March flew by quickly – with final exams and graduation happening. The young coach relayed her congratulations and farewell to the former third-year basketball regulars, Miyagi Youhei and Obura Bunta. Of course, it was sad; yet, she also looked forward to spring break – the moment she would go to the amusement park with her crush.

But again, today was the last day of spring break; and she hasn't received any updates from him. Every time she attempts to send him a message, she stops. It's his gift to her – she lectures herself – so she shouldn't insist.

Watching the petals on her palms get blown away by the wind, she decided to stay positive and make a cherry blossom ikebana, instead. For tomorrow, she'll see him again; for tomorrow, she's a second-year.


What greeted Tsumiko first thing, as she entered school, was a hug from behind and a cheery voice from no one but Momoi. Aomine was following behind the pinkette, as expected. Tsumiko then flinched when she heard a flat voice greeting her too; and identified the source – Kuroko – standing beside the tan boy.

Next, the four of them proceeded to check their class assignments. She saw that she was once again in the same class as Akashi in 2-A. Her friends, Mizuki and Chitose, were in 2-D and 2-E, respectively. For the rest of her clubmates, these were their sections: Midorima and Aomine in 2-B; Murasakibara in 2-C; Momoi in 2-D; Kuroko and Haizaki in 2-E.

Due to this, the slightly taller girl whined about wanting to be classmates with both 'Tetsu-kun' and 'Iro-chan.' Meanwhile, the snow-haired girl scanned the third-year page, and found out that Nijimura's in 3-A, and Kubota and Sekiguchi were in 3-B.

This reminded her of last year, when Nijimura was the one who greeted her first, during her first day as a middle-schooler. Speaking of which, that day was indeed eventful. She has encountered every one of the regulars slash the colorful bunch of the basketball team that day.

Weird.

It felt like some premonition or something like fate – as Midorima would probably call it.

Still in the memory of last year's school opening, yellow flashed in her mind; and she internally chuckled. Maybe not. The blonde model didn't seem to be much interested in basketball. Shaking away her silly thoughts about fate, she curiously peeked at the board and spotted that Kise was in 2-C, while getting dragged away by the energetic Momoi.

The day went by like a typical first day of school. At class, she met some new classmates, and she seated at the empty seat next to the redhead. It was only before the afternoon practice that she finally caught sight of him. Nijimura was with the other third-year members at the gym. Naturally, once they locked eyes, they both greeted each other – the topic of the amusement park somehow not brought up. Coach Sanada then arrived and announced the plan for today's session. It was the first day of training in the new school year, after all. As discussed, the senior coaches, along with the captain, would go and screen the new applicants at the third-string gym; whereas the student coach, along with the vice-captain and first-string manager, would stay in the first-string gym and do drills.

Not long after, the captain returned ahead of the coaches, who were apparently still deliberating in the third-string gym. The manager was beside her, while the vice-captain was at the other side of the court. When the older guy approached the ladies, however, Momoi rapidly excused herself to go to the restroom. Tsumiko watched her friend skip away, and mentally shook her head at her friend's antics. While doing so, Nijimura slipped something on her clipboard.

"Here."

Her eyes widened.

It was a ticket for a theme park.

"I know I said 'spring break' so, sorry I'm kinda late. It's the Saturday two weeks from now...you available?"

She was so excited and happy, that it was getting hard to be discreet. With a beam, she looked up and nodded at him, "Thank you so much!"

And this invitation was the start of the following eventful weeks of spring. Every day, she looked forward to the day she would confess – the day something between them could possibly bloom.


In that Friday of the same week, a new bud of flower appeared.

Tsumiko learned from the coaches that a second-year, named Kise Ryouta, was accepted directly to the second-string after trying out. Astonished, she was quick to text him, only to get a series of bubbly messages in response.

...

"Aww~ But I wanna surprise you once I get to the first-string! (-.-) "

"Also I'm still learning a lot, so don't visit me yet! T-T Basketball's really fun tho~ "

"Watch out, Iro-cchi! I'll show you my cool moves in the first-string ;)"

...

She rolled her eyes at the other's confidence; but maybe if fateful encounters were real, then Kise joining the first-string might just be possible. Besides, if a beginner like him already made it to the second-string right after trying-out, then he must have so much potential. An image of the yellow-haired teen, wearing the basketball team's uniform, then formed in her mind; and albeit the model rocking the outfit , she brushed the thought off,

'But maybe not yet a regular.'

Speaking of regulars, a certain gray-haired fellow was absent a lot in the training sessions of the second week. This caused the captain to snap. That Wednesday, thanks to the information from Kuroko – Haizaki's classmate – Nijimura followed the other to the game center; but both boys ended up not returning to school. The following day, though, the captain was sure that the sophomore in question would attend practice. However, it was only Friday when Haizaki showed up in practice – beaten-up and under the clutches of no one but the senior, whose default frown was replaced by a grin.

Honestly, this was something she had noticed the past weeks. Nijimura was extra playful. He was both teasing and cheering people up – making everyone pumped up in the drills and practice matches. His signature scowl was sometimes replaced by what looks like fondness. While this catches her off guard sometimes, she enjoys it, nonetheless.

Next Monday came and he surprises her even more. After classes ended and a lot of students were already heading out, Nijimura popped out on 2-A's entrance, again with a smirk decorating his already-handsome face.

"Yo Irosuzuka, Akashi! Look who I found~"

Trapped on his right arm was a silver head, whose face didn't have fresh bruises or marks, thankfully. Not even bothering to spare a glance to the redhead beside her, light gray irises met her slightly darker ones, as her fellow sophomore reached for her hand and desperately called out specifically to her,

"Miss tiny-san...Tsumiko help–ack"

"I bumped into him at the third-year hallway and staircase", Nijimura interrupted, while tightening his lock on the ash-haired rebel, forcing the latter to release his grip on her hand.

Haizaki was sputtering out muffled groans, catching the attention of some of her classmates and some other freshmen passing by the hallway. Among these were female, and even male middle-schoolers, gaping in awe at the presence of the famous student-athlete and leader, Nijimura Shuuzo. The center of the attention, on the contrary, was unfazed of the audience and was focused merely on the three of them.

"He prolly came from the rooftop and fucking skipped class. So, I thought that we could all head to the gym together...", the ravenhead, using his free arm, then ruffled both Akashi's and Tsumiko's hair, before leading the way and uttering words like a confession,

"...since you're all my favorite kouhais."

.

.

.

It was Haizaki, who was still flailing under the senior, who reacted first. He immediately threw out flustered curses and insults to the elder for his 'stupid, crappy, and cringy line'. On the other hand, the young coach and vice-captain silently walked behind the two – with each of them having an obviously-pleased look and an unreadable expression on their faces, respectively.

Despite the differences in the reactions of the three so-called favorite kouhais, the senpai's declaration certainly had an effect to all of them.

Tsumiko, herself, felt more hopeful – looking forward to finally telling him about her feelings this Saturday. Next, Haizaki actually went to training – even if it's only up to Wednesday. To add to this, Akashi seemed to have some kind of plan. At the middle of the week, the senior coaches informed her of their decision to move Kise Ryouta up the first-string the following day; and apparently, it was Akashi who suggested that the newly-promoted member be placed under the guidance of Kuroko, for reasons she still has to figure out.

Come Thursday and she still couldn't believe that she just caught bright golden orbs staring back at her from across the gym's entrance. The blonde broke eye contact when he shifted back on the pink-haired manager, who was probably explaining stuff to him. Tsumiko didn't get a chance to talk to him that day, so she only sent him a congratulatory message that night. Again, he energetically replied.

...

"Hmph =P Even if you didn't greet me, it's okay... T-T"

"But thank you, Iro-chii!"

"Or should I call you coach now? ;)"

...

It was Friday after practice that she spoke to the second-year model, who, along with the first-year new recruits, stayed behind for cleaning duties. However, with the captain beside her, both the sophomores had to pretend that they didn't know each other – something they've already agreed on way back. She has to admit, Kise was doing a good job in acting, even being more formal and polite – but she guessed that this could also be because the light-haired boy was most likely intimated by the dark-haired one (which is kind of not surprising). Somehow, though, this didn't entirely stop Kise to be mischievous to her. The blonde referred to her as 'coach' a lot of times, and she knew that he was doing it on purpose. This is exactly why she hoped that he wouldn't find out about her crush, or else he'll certainly tease her about it too. Thankfully, Nijimura addressed Kise and the others to wrap things up quickly, so they could leave already. Following this, the third-year lightly tapped her shoulder then led the way out, telling her to go ahead and head home, as well, since he still has to report to Coach Sanada.

"Sorry I couldn't stay behind. Yuuta-nii's coming home and he wants to pick me up. I said there's no need, but you know him", she apologized, while playfully shaking her head.

He snorted, "Yeah, that bastard could be so annoying."

Prior to parting ways, she paused, "Well then, I'll be going now, captain", and looked at him expectantly – waiting for some confirmation that their plans for tomorrow will push through.

What she got, instead, was stormy lenses gazing down briefly, as he muttered, "Captain, huh?"

Before she could even wonder, though, he instantly showed her a boyish grin, "Anyway, see you tomorrow", and tuned around with a wink at the end.

Face flushed, she giddily skipped towards the gates, where Kuroko, Aomine and Murasakibara were waiting. She then learned that they were going to celebrate Kise's promotion. To be honest, she found it amazing how the newbie appeared to already gain the interests of the mentioned regulars. Well, the model was perhaps simply born to be popular.

Now while she did want to join them, a familiar car arrived and her brother rolled down the window of the passenger seat and greeted them all – prompting her to bid farewell.


Finally, it was Saturday – the day Tsumiko's been waiting for. Today, she has the same feeling as when she visits her flower garden, and sees a single bud beginning to bloom.

During this sunny day of spring, the light-haired girl was wearing a yellow plaid skirt with black leggings underneath, and a plain black long-sleeve. With the yellow matching her white locks, she's almost like daffodils – the same flowers, which served as witnesses to that lovely Christmas night at the children's park. Beside her was no one but him, who's wearing light-wash jeans, and a navy blue hoodie. On another aspect, one could even say that she was the sun and clouds, and he was the sky and the blue mountains.

Now, this amusement park was the nearest and was a relatively smaller one, but it also has rides like a roller coaster, the swinging ship ride, bumper cars, a mini carousel, a Ferris wheel, and more. As usual, the line for the roller coaster was the longest, so they decided to ride the swinging ship first.

"Are you good with heights?", Nijimura only asked while they secured the safety belts.

She nervously blinked, "Not really."

"Damn. Me too."

And indeed they weren't.

They both screamed their lungs out, with the addition of an exquisite set of curses from the older one. Moreover, while the ship was swinging, she had never imagined that his deep voice has the ability to go up and reach certain heights. Once it was over, though, the older acted as if nothing happened and played it cool.

Afterwards, they did bumper cars. This was the first time she drove the car alone, since she was with her brother the last time she had rode one; and this was much more thrilling. She hasn't laughed that hard for a long time. Exhausted, they then took some break from rides and played games; and maybe because of their school and club, they were both competitive, making them win some prizes. But those prizes weren't for themselves. It started when younger kids swarmed them and watched Nijimura in admiration. Since the prizes were various stuffed toys, he went on big brother mode and gave them all away to the kids, earning him cheers and lots of 'thanks, oniichan'. While she was enjoying such scene, a little girl tugged on her skirt.

"Here pretty oneechan. This one's yours!"

It was a black rounded plush. When she accepted it, she realized that it was a small chick – a moody one, based on it's expression; and it looked somewhat familiar.

"It looks like your boyfriend~"

Face heating up, she avoided his gaze, let out an awkward laugh then corrected the girl. She heard him clear his throat and back her clarification up, by half-halfheartedly scolding the girl and telling the girl that he doesn't look like an angry chick. In the end, she kept the stuff toy inside her bag, as a souvenir.

Furthermore, while they explored the park, there was a time she couldn't catch up with the taller one's speed. To her surprise, he reached out among the crowd, and wrapped his hand around hers.

He then uttered like it's the most natural thing, "I can't lose you here."

With that, they held hands, as they walked around – the pink on her cheeks refusing to fade. Soon after, they noticed that the line for roller coaster got shorter, so they grabbed the chance. Standing in line, they talked about plenty of random stuff until a topic, she has been wondering about, popped out in her head.

"By the way,senpai, how are we your favorite kouhais?"

The other blinked, "Ah, that. It's just a random and dumb thought", before explaining, "I mean, in just a few days, I found Haizaki in various places, chased after him, and finally dragged him to practice; I introduced Akashi to the greatness that is the convenience store plus meat buns last week; and now, I took you here as a late birthday present. So, there it is. My favorite kouhais"

Since she kind of already knew the ones with Haizaki, she naturally got curious about his story with Akashi, so he told her more about it – sharing that he wanted the scarlet-haired 'rich kid', who was apparently stressing about 'the idiot' Haizaki's tardiness and absences, to 'chill' a bit. Eventually, the focus shifted to the ash-head, as Nijimura chuckled.

"That bastard. Did you see those new piercings he has? That brat's really out here try'na be a punk."

She hummed, "At least he didn't dye his hair", as she played along and tried teasing him.

At the same moment they moved forward in the line, he stepped closer and gave her a light bump on her side.

"Oi, 'ya talking about me?"

She swiftly regained her balance and got a bit brave to throw a weak glare at him, but it was shortly replaced by that of fondness, "I mean, you two are pretty similar."

"Everybody says that", he scowled, but just like her, it didn't last. With the corners of his mouth slightly raised, he exhaled, "But I guess, you're all not wrong."

Having more courage, she bumped him back like a bump car. Although it didn't do much to push him, it made him face her again. Once he did, she showed him a knowing expression, "I believe I know who's your favorite among your favorite kouhais now."

The boy's eyebrows slightly knit, before looking away. With the tip of his ears slightly reddish, he seemed to gulp, then proceeded to claim,

"...He's not my favorite."

She was anticipating him to either humor her and agree or to devilishly deny, so his sort-of serious and almost-nervous reaction was unexpected. Suddenly, she felt more conscious, that she found herself tongue-tied and unable to follow up and ask who – as if she was afraid of his answer – which is silly since she was the one brought this all up. Luckily, it was finally their turn, saving them both from the unforeseen awkwardness. All the twists, turns, rise and drops of the roller coaster caused them to shout and caused their brains to jumble – momentarily diverting them from their early conversation.

Once they got off the ride, they took a rest and gathered their organs, souls and minds at a bench. They bought snacks, then after relaxing and eating, the ravenhead suggested,

"Guess we should go back now. Or do you still got anything in mind?"

Panic formed inside her, as her plans and purpose internally screamed at her. Wait, she still hasn't confessed!

Taking a deep breath, she pointed at the large wheel, "Um actually...can we ride the Ferris wheel, before we go?"

He cooly nodded, "Alright", and rose from his seat. With his hands on his pockets, he followed her pace, while heading towards the chosen ride. Meanwhile, she let her hands hang on her side, praying that by the time they finished a round of the wheel, they'll be a couple and holding hands would just be natural.

Hence, during the short wait up to the moment they got on a gondola, she kept on thinking about the best ways and the best time she could express her feelings; and convincing herself that maybe – just maybe – he thought of this as a date, just like her. But, as they went higher, she felt her guts drop, literally and figuratively. Nevertheless, she steeled herself and distracted herself by appreciating the view.

Now, this type of Ferris wheel wasn't that high up, so the view wasn't the best. Despite this, she found the scenery beautiful. She could see the rest of the busy theme park, the people on the ground getting tinier, the greens of the trees, and the buildings and roads in the area. Most importantly, she could see him admiring the view, as well. Even if she was a little bit anxious, there was a comfortable silence between them, while they sat opposite to each other. As she stole glances of his handsome profile, she got more determined to confess.

.

.

.

"You're my favorite."

.

.

.

It was him who broke the silence.

With a serene expression, his attention was still fixed on the scenery. Fully turning her head towards him, her already-racing heart went wild at his words.

This is it.

"Of course, I met you first", he was quick to clarify, however.

Oh.

"Heh. You even saw me blonde."

Or maybe not yet.

He briefly gave her half a smirk, then continued, "Anyway, I truly wanted to let you know first...but Akashi – that little shit – accidentally heard about it yesterday."

'Wait. It? What is he talking about?', she pondered – her hopes, which was starting to crash down, went up again, like a ride.

He probably sensed her confusion, so he elaborated, "Last Christmas, I told you my dad was sick."

His lenses glossed over hers, as if to check if she remembered.

Of course, she did. That night was special. As if on cue, memories – the call she received, the private exchange at the children's park, the Christmas lights and daffodils, the hug they shared, the warmth of his body against the chilly air, and the faint scent of coffee and chocolate mixed with the smell of soap and detergent – flooded her brain. And it's probably visible in her face, because he went on,

"Well, he still is. They ran some tests."

And this shattered her nostalgia, and woke her up to reality.

He paused and she noticed his fists clenched a bit, while stating, "Brain tumor, they said."

She gasped.

Oh no.

She was clearly taken aback with the sudden turn of events. Her plans went crumbling down, along with her courage.

"I–uh..I'm really sorry to hear about that", was the only thing she could stutter out.

"Hey, don't be", his fists unclenched, as he waved her worries off, "Thankfully, the doctors believe it's not cancerous, but they still need to do more tests just to be sure. Anyway, he's gonna undergo surgery probably this summer – or September, the latest. After that, there's still radiation therapy and shit."

There was a slight halt, and she could sense his hesitation, before he spoke again, "Although nothing's decided yet, there's also this possibility of all of us moving to the States, since my mom's already there."

Oh.

Oh.

Frankly, she found herself unsure of her response to everything he just said. What was certain was that she felt bad. She proceeded to scold herself; because it was that last statement, which actually affected her the most. The idea of him leaving brought a sharp pain in her chest. And she believed that such reaction was horrible of her.

"I might not have time for other...things", he stopped for a while and gestured towards the scenery, "..like this."

'This.', she internally repeated, and her instincts was quick to suggest a possible interpretation of what he meant, hurting her more in the process. But hey, maybe she's just reading between the lines too much. Right?

Across her, he shrugged, striving to lighten up the mood, "So yeah, that's pretty much it. This old man here is gonna be busy."

He let out a low and almost-hollow chuckle; and if she has blinked that time, she would've missed the flash of regret in his face, before his lips faintly curved up, "Thanks for accompanying me today, Irosuzuka."

It was difficult to find the right words to say; and as if he was aware and was trying to spare her of the usual polite responses she could've spouted, he casually got to his point, without missing a beat.

"Ah, right. I already informed Coach Sanada yesterday, which is also when Akashi accidentally heard about all this. Anyway, Coach Sanada probably relayed this to Coach Shirogane, too. Which leaves you, coach."

Anxiety further crept in her, because guessing by his tone, he was about to deliver more unfortunate news.

Steadily, steel irises bore into her shaky opal ones,

"I want to officially resign as a captain. Will you accept it, Irosuzuka?"

.

.

.

Huh?

.

.

.

A single teardrop escaped before she could even completely digest all those overwhelming information. Once she did, though, tears flowed down uncontrollably.

Of course, the other was caught off guard, "O-oi..."

To be honest, the decision was not up to her, since she's just a powerless student coach; so there seriously was no need for him to consult her.

But he was Nijimura Shuuzo.

Hot-tempered, strict, and rough on the outside – yet kind, considerate, and gentle on the inside. This was why she has been liking him for almost two years; and him being a softie and sharing his personal troubles, and asking her for her opinion, makes her fall for him even more.

With her vision turning blurry due to the tears, she pondered.

What if she rejects his choice to step down from his position? Although she doubts that this will change anything, especially once the senior coaches have already made a decision, if she could persuade him not to give up his captaincy, then he'll be the one to inform the senior coaches, himself.

What if she asks him to stay? Although it's not yet sure that they'll migrate to America, if she could tell him she wishes to be beside him and that she'll miss him a lot, then perhaps he wouldn't want to go.

What if she admits that she's willing to share his burden and to help him, as his potential other half? Although it's not for certain that he has feelings for her, if she could just take the risk, then maybe – just maybe – he would allow her to be with him.

But then again –

"H-how could I– ", she made an effort to start at last; and bluntly, she's not certain if she's addressing him or herself.

Presently, her chest felt tight, with all the mixed and complex emotions welling up inside her. This day was currently a literal roller coaster ride of emotions – as if fate or whatever was mocking her. Mostly, she felt foolish, ashamed and guilty. How could she even crazily think of being selfish and demanding him all those things? To make it worse, here she was worrying about rolling the dice, taking a chance, confessing, and blooming; whereas he's right there, busy worrying about his father, his family, his captaincy and everything else that actually matters.

"After hearing everything – I – ", she choked.

Because he has no time for things like this.

"–of course,"

Because he already has plenty of things on his plate.

"I accept..."

Because her feelings is not important at the moment.

"I understand."

Oh, this was so pathetic. Why was she the one crying?

She managed to squeak out, "S-sorry."

"I should be the one comforting and yet – ", she bit her lip, attempting to calm herself, but some tears were still rolling down, "oh my...I'm sorry.."

Wordlessly, Nijimura abruptly got up, hitting the roof of the cabin, in the process. His reflexes, accordingly, made him squat then bend one knee down. In this position, he was directly in front of her – their faces mere inches apart. Shocked at this gesture and proximity, her crying momentarily stopped. With uncontrollable sniffles, she watched his dark gray eyes roam her face, as she felt his warm and calloused hand cupping her left cheek, wiping away the tears. He did the same to her right cheek, then retracted both of his hands – the warmth and sensation lingering on her face. Finally, he met her own dark orbs, which consequently allowed her to recognize that it was a gaze of longing.

And it clicked to her that maybe, there was no need for her to confess; because perhaps, he already knew.

And the look he was giving her was maybe, his answer.

.

.

.

He finally whispered, "I'm sorry."

.

.

.

Her heart broke.


As the gondola descended, her stomach was turning and her heart was aching, that she couldn't help but horribly sob. Carefully, though, he embraced her.

It was then that the young lady understood that perhaps something has bloomed that day – no, probably even way earlier. However, just like cherry blossoms, it's fleeting; and certain conditions and complications prevent them to bloom forever. Once they reach the ground and step out of the cart, the flowers will also touch the ground; and the blooming season will be over.

Because in the end, they're both young; and the world is just not that simple.

Right now, as he held her broken form close, she could only hold onto him tighter – as if she was clenching the cherry blossom petals that had fluttered on her palm, not allowing the wind to blow them away just yet.


A/N:

Yeah... :(

I apologize for the angst at the end...but knowing what happened in the anime/manga, I bet you all somehow saw this coming ;A; Truth to be told, this is also one of the reasons why it took me some time to post this. I planned to make this chapter a roller coaster ride of emotions, and wow, it was seriously difficult to do. Also, I wanted to have this fleeting feeling in it, by skimming through the things that has happened in the span of a few weeks.

I hope I managed to do all these! I'm very curious about your thoughts, your interpretations, your feelings and stuff about everything~ Because honestly, after writing then reading this chapter, I kind of need to discuss my own feelings with you all too (lol) Please :(

But hey, this story's not ending yet, so a lot of things could still happen :) Again, thank you all! Stay healthy~