Despite all my classes transitioning to online classes, my last semester as an undergraduate has been one of the most insane semesters of my life. I've been wanting to update for a long time, but I hadn't found the time to sit down and write.

I hope you all have been well with everything that has gone on in the world. I can't imagine how insane things have been for everyone. I can only hope that this update brings a little light to your life.

As always, I cannot thank you all enough for the favorites, follows and reviews on my story. In response to one from last chapter, from Nana, yes, Nijimura will absolutely be making an appearance in this story – specifically this chapter. Thank you so much for your review!

Disclaimer: {I don't own Kuroko no Basuke. I only own my OCs and my approach to the universe they are in. The quote belongs to Pedro Calderon de la Barca. Mention of The Ring only}.

Chapter 10: Green is an Endearing Color

"Green is the prime color of the world, and the from which its loveliness arises" – Pedro Calderon de la Barca

"Heard there's still a ghost problem in the gym," Aomine drawled out to her, emphasis on the word, 'ghost.'

"And I heard that the great Aomine Daiki can't seem to handle solving that problem." Yuki burst out into laughter.

He glared at her. "I want to practice in the gym but whatever's in there won't go away."

Yuki smiled wider, a brilliant idea popping into her head, "I'll make you a deal Aomine-san. I'll enter the gym with you tomorrow and personally confront your ghost, but in return, you'll have to help a friend of mine with his basketball playing."

"You'll make the ghost go away?"

"I can assure you; it won't even get the chance to say, 'Boo!'"

"Deal."

Yuki was beginning to become more and more comfortable the longer she saw Aomine and Momoi. Momoi was easy to understand on a surface level: bubbly and bright, in both meanings of the word. While Yuki was able to pick up on an entirely different kind of character beneath the surface, she had no intention to look. She could share that persona with Akashi and Akashi alone if she so desired.

Aomine was harder for Yuki to read. On the one hand, he seemed inherently motivated to be the best there ever was when it came to basketball. On the other hand, in everything else, he seemed thoroughly unmotivated to the point of tangible sloth.

She couldn't imagine being interested in only one thing and one thing alone.

"Your bangs have gotten quite long."

It'd been quite some time since Yuki thought about her outer appearance. Maybe that was why people often avoided her – she was looking more and more like one of the girls in a horror movie. She certainly hadn't seen The Ring in quite some time.

Yuki started to play with her bangs, mindlessly blowing them out of her face. "I guess I should trim these a bit, huh?"

Her mother beckoned her over to one of the seats in the kitchen. "You know you don't have to always do everything alone, Yuki." She brought over a trashcan and placed it in Yuki's hands. "Hold this while I trim."

Yuki's mother was a gentle person; that much Yuki could easily describe her as. She seemed harsher with Yuki only because as she'd gotten older, there were more responsibilities to take on, and often, Yuki failed to accomplish them adequately. However, in this moment with her mother, Yuki felt at ease, enjoying how lightly her fingers moved her bangs, attempting to angle them better around her face.

After a few minutes, Yuki's mother removed the trashcan again. "Feeling more human now? I can finally see most of your face again."

Yuki smiled, enjoying the freedom from having her frayed tips constantly ending up in her eyes. "Much better." She began to move out of her seat when her mother started up a conversation with her.

"I've been talking to Ayako recently."

"Talking to or attempting to translate?"

Her mother gave her a steely look. "She doesn't use Korean that often, Yuki." Sighing, she continued. "Your sister wants to go to a different junior high school than you, but she's nervous you'll mock her for her choices." She saw her mother's arm cross; this was apparently a rather serious discussion.

In light of the recent events that Yuki had been experiencing at her school, she was prepared to tell anyone to look elsewhere. "I wouldn't make fun of her for deciding differently from me."

After pensively watching her daughter for a few moments, she nodded, seeming to believe what Yuki stated as the truth. "Would you mind explaining that to Ayako? She seems to get the impression that if she doesn't follow in your footsteps, you're going to be angry with her."

"Is it already that time to start thinking about junior high school?"

Her mother nodded again. "And personally, I think it's time you started planning out your various high school options. There's a lot of different schools you could end up going to."

Yuki could feel a pit in her stomach, growing larger every second this conversation lasted. "I'll probably just go somewhere nearby for the sake of convenience."

There it was. It was a small shift. If it were anyone else besides Yuki watching her mother, they probably wouldn't have noticed it. Yuki and her father could recognize it, though – the way in which her mother would sway slightly, contemplating her next response and then just barely smile.

Every time her mother entered this position, it meant dark times were ahead.

"Well, you know a couple of your cousins are planning on going beyond the area we live in – looking into schools like Rakuzan. One of them goes there now, and he thinks it is an excellent school."

Yuki scoffed. "There's no way in the world I could ever even pass the entrance exam for that place." She began to mimic her mother's previous position and cross her arms. "Why is it that if Ayako decides she doesn't want to go to Teikou, it's fine, but I have to continue to look towards these elitist schools?"

"I never said that."

"It's not like you went to Rakuzan, Okaa-san."

Yuki walked out of the kitchen, too nervous to see her mother's face.

"Another bad day today?"

After her initial knee-jerk reaction, Yuki smiled at Kuroko. She feared she'd never really get used to his mannerisms, but she was trying her best to at least sense his presence better.

"Just an interesting way to start off my morning," she replied.

Kuroko nodded, used to Yuki's vagueness when it came to opening up about herself or her family. It was becoming an obvious pattern. After settling down next to Yuki, Kuroko seemed to be drawn to something on her face.

"Is something wrong, Kuroko-san?" Yuki felt rather bothered by how blatantly Kuroko was looking at her before he opened his bento.

He shook his head, his pale blue hair seeming to dance in the motion. "Your hair is different."

Yuki smiled. "My mother cut it." After eating some rice, she continued, "Does it not look good? The look you were giving me was difficult to read."

A second head shake. Yuki smiled again. "Well, good. I'm glad it isn't a total disaster. I didn't get the chance to look at my hair earlier."

Their lunch routine was something Yuki enjoyed, yet she always wondered why Kuroko felt the need to hunt her down in a different classroom. It wasn't as if she was an exceptional conversationalist. Often, she felt rather lousy after talking to people.

She decided then that it was time to inform Kuroko of her brilliant plan. "So, I've pulled some strings."

His eyes met hers, intrigued by whatever she might say.

"I may or may not have ensured your basketball care with one of the best players in this school." Yuki placed her chin in her palm, looking at the blackboard thought. "I'll have to prove there's no ghost in the gym we practice in, but after that, he said he'd help you."

"Is he in the first-string?"

Yuki nodded. "He's actually a basketball nut, that much I've gathered after talking to him. I think you two will get along rather well."

A small smile graced Kuroko's lip.

She could tell he was excited.

Jumping from third to first-string was akin to originally signing up for a beginner's Mandarin class and then being thrown into an intermediate course. It wasn't the level of dedication to the cause that had changed – everyone aspired to be at the top; however, it was the varying degrees of attitude. Whereas the third-string seemed more accepting, simply as a group of hardworking students, the first-string was full of aggressive, demanding players.

The fact Momoi willingly seemed to sit through these practices scared Yuki.

"You're looking rather pensive."

Yuki flinched, looking to where she heard the voice. She didn't recognize the boy but felt at ease with the fact that he had dark, ebony hair, similar to herself. Yuki was beginning to see that there was a negative correlation towards those with more vibrant hair colors.

"I'm just . . . unused to this level of play before."

He gave her a funny look before sitting on the bench next to her. "Weren't you at the game over the weekend? I'm sure the team played the same."

Yuki blushed, feeling embarrassed. She'd been so unsettled during that game that most of it flew by without her noticing. She held the back of her neck awkwardly and looked away.

"You know," he started, "I think it's pretty weird that an underclassman like you so blatantly disregards hierarchy."

She could feel her forehead scrunching up in confusion. "What do you mean?"

He smirked at her, "Well, I am the captain of the team, Morine-san."

Yuki couldn't prevent the strangled noise coming from her throat. She bowed to him apologetically. "I didn't even realize; I apologize." From the way that everyone treated Akashi, she figured that he was the captain and not this upperclassman staring her down.

"It's fine. Figured you got yelled at enough over the weekend."

She looked up at him in surprise. "You heard everything as well?"

He huffed at her, disbelieving that she was being this dense about the entire situation. "It doesn't take a genius to recognize when the coach is angry about something." He paused, seeming to be reflecting on a point he missed. "Nijimura Shūzō, by the way."

"Morine Yuki."

"I know."

"I was just being polite."

"I know."

Seating herself on the bench again, Yuki rearranged her hair to look away from Nijimura. However, as much as she attempted to move away from him, Nijimura seemed keen on speaking with her. Putting his chin on his palm, he looked over at her before speaking. "I'm sure you have questions."

"What about?"

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "The team, Morine-san."

Yuki fidgeted in her seat, feeling confused. She'd witnessed the third-string practice for awhile now. Isn't practice, practice? "Not really?"

Nijimura gave her a hard glance before looking out at the court. Yuki followed his gaze, watching as the various players, including four colorfully haired first years, practiced. Nothing seemed overly bizarre to her, except for the fact that their version of practice was almost professionally conducted.

"If you didn't know I was the captain, then I'm almost positive you don't know most of the first string." He sighed. "I can see why our director got annoyed with you."

"I'm just the manager."

"Ahh." Nijimura seemed to have his eyes trained on one individual in particular, a tall, gray-haired player with a rather rough play style.

"Who are you looking at?"

"Haizaki Shōgo, our small forward." Nijimura seemed to decide no further elaboration was necessary.

Yuki trained her eyes onto the small forward, trying to piece together what she could about the player. "Is he good?"

Nijimura scoffed. "He wouldn't have made it here if he wasn't."

"Then what's the ma –"

Nijimura stood up, repositioning his shirt. He moved his neck to the side, appearing to loosen it up before staring at Yuki. "He's the one player you should be extremely familiar with, Morine-san." Nijimura began to walk towards the court before adding, "I'd avoid him at all costs."

"So, there's no ghost."

Yuki had been guiding Aomine, with Momoi in tow, over to where Kuroko was practicing. She rolled her eyes, resisting the urge to smack his arm. "There was never a ghost in this building."

"Maybe not the gym, but there still might be one in the school."

"What do you want from me? I'm not some kind of ghost detector, Aomine-san."

She could feel the frustration rolling off him. "You're friends with one."

"I'm friends with a human being. I know this is a revolutionary concept for you, but I have never in my entire life been friend with a supernatural entity." Yuki began to walk faster in annoyance. One of the best basketball players she had ever seen, and here he was, completely chicken despite her numerous comments about the lack of a ghost being in that gymnasium. She was beginning to lose her mind.

"How was practice today, Kiki-chan?"

"Fine."

Momoi groaned a bit. "Just 'fine'? You're not going to give me anything more than that?"

Aomine cut into the conversation with, "Nijimura was talking to her for a while."

"Ohhh! What were they talking about?"

"Hah? How would I know what they were talking about, Satsuki? I was practicing."

Yuki continued to walk without looking behind her. She just wanted to see how Kuroko was doing and not prattle on about her embarrassing conversation with the captain.

"Do you not like the captain, Kiki-chan?"

Yuki approached the doors to the gym and gave Momoi a swift glance. "I never said that."

"Yeah, you didn't say anything," Aomine commented sarcastically, arms held behind his head.

"I didn't see the point. He's your typical captain." She pushed open the door on her left and waltzed inside the gymnasium. Yuki attempted to listen for any sort of movement in the gym as actually "seeing" Kuroko was more difficult than hearing him.

"Morine-san."

Yuki looked over at him, a slight smile dawning her features. "How was practice going, Kuroko-san? I brought along some guests."

Kuroko shifted his gaze to behind Yuki, taking in Aomine's lazy, but cautious stance, and Momoi's curious look. "Is this the player you mentioned?"

"The one, the only Aomine Daiki," Yuki paused, letting Kuroko put the name to the face. "Aomine-san, this is Kuroko Tetsuya." Realizing she was neglecting to mention her pink-haired friend, Yuki added, "And of course, Teikou's other, much more talented manager, Momoi Satsuki."

Aomine's caution thrown to the wayside, the two boys began to practice eagerly, sweat, smiles and all. Momoi looked over at Yuki with a large smile. "I'm not sure how you did it, Kiki-chan, but I think you managed to unite two people who are completely crazy about basketball."

"They're very different skill-wise, however."

Momoi nodded. "I'm sure they can learn from each other, that's your reasoning for bringing them together, right?"

Yuki had been playing with a strand of her hair, twirling it around her right index finger. "Of sorts. I don't really know how to play basketball, so Kuroko-san can't really learn anything from me." As an afterthought, Yuki added, "Kind of defeats the purpose of working with him if he gets nothing from me being there."

"Well, I get the feeling our group of three is about to become a group of four!" Momoi's excitement was almost tangible. She could see the way that Momoi was looking at Kuroko, her eyes almost laced with affection.

"Did Nijimura-senpai tell you much of import?"

Yuki couldn't resist the annoyed sigh that left her lips. "Why do you always speak so formally, Midorima-san?"

"Why do you always respond to my questions with questions?" He asked her pointedly, repositioning his lucky item – a hole-punch – on his lap, until it sat comfortably across both of his legs.

"I do not."

"Oh, yes, I simply forgot. You don't respond with questions," Midorima fiddled with his glasses, pushing them up along the bridge of his nose. "You just ignore them."

"Well, maybe I don't like the questions you ask."

"My questions aren't the problem."

"We both know what the problem is, Midorima-san." Yuki paused for dramatic effect, before smirking wickedly. "It's just you."

Midorima glared at her, the green of his eyes almost seeming to darken, with the outer circles becoming almost black. "I wonder why I even bother with you."

"Is that a statement or a question? Either way, that's on you to decide."

Yuki could tell she was pushing Midorima beyond where she normally pushed him, but she was feeling vindictive. She was getting bored of always having to open up to him about the various conversations she had with the basketball team while getting admonished for every little thing she did. She could tell that Midorima was a perfectionist; it drove her insane that he could be so critical.

He sighed, seeming to resist the urge to get up from the table and walk away. "I asked because I was curious."

"That is why most people ask questions."

"Morine."

She raised her hands in surrender. "Sorry, I just can't resist."

"There's no point in apologizing if you refuse to stop," he muttered out. "Nijimura-senpai and you were looking at Haizaki."

Yuki nodded, "He told me to avoid him."

Midorima seemed to silently agree. "I could not have offered better advice."

"Well, maybe you could add better elaboration?"

"In what way?"

Yuki looked at him in disbelief. "You all seem so stiff when even just his name gets mentioned. I just wanted to know if there was something more to him."

Midorima seemed uncomfortable with the conversation, but also more relaxed knowing he was no longer exchanging biting remarks with Yuki. "He's a person with a lackadaisical yet volatile personality. We play with him out of necessity not desire."

"Meaning that there are no other small forwards able to play as well as he does?"

Midorima nodded. "It's unfortunate. Akashi and I often comment on his character outside of practices." He paused, looking pensively at the hole-punch on his lap. "He and Nijimura-senpai are often in conflict. I would assume that's why you were told to avoid Haizaki."

She found herself mulling over his explanation. Yuki couldn't fathom having such a belligerent player on the team.

"That player you work with often," Midorima began slowly, seeming to try and piece together his thoughts. "He doesn't happen to be a small forward, does he?"

Yuki shook her head. "I'm not sure what position he would play, quite honestly."

"Explain."

She was starting to feel frustrated with him again. "There's nothing to explain. That's all there is to it."

"How can you help a player if they don't even gravitate towards a specific position? It's illogical."

"Not everything is about logic."

The two glared at each other again. Midorima was the first to break the silence, "Everything should be about logic."

Yuki scoffed, crossing her arms defensively. "If that were truly the case, you wouldn't be walking around with a hole-punch as your lucky lifeline for the day."

"There is something extremely logical about carrying a lucky item every single day."

"There is something completely illogical, albeit wrong, with your brain, Midorima-san. How someone like you even ranks above me in class is beyond human understanding." Yuki returned to her work, motivated to complete what the two of them had been working on – initially, their math homework, and then following with some plans for the upcoming student festival.

"You are insufferable today."

She was too stubborn to look at him again, not until he walked out from the library with the doors closing behind him. It wasn't until it truly registered that he was not returning that Yuki was able to recognize a weird feeling within her.

She actually missed his presence.

Yuki sat on her bed that night, looking out the window at the moon. A waning gibbous. She rather liked that phase. It was an interesting one – not a crescent, not full; it had its own character.

She'd been unable to concentrate since her conversation with Midorima and it was driving her insane. She was too stubborn to admit that she was being relentless with her comments, but she felt a deep guilt for attacking him in the ways that she had. It's not like he had to work with her all the time – if ever. He'd told her on multiple occasions that she was a lost cause with numbers.

Yuki hadn't really considered how exhausting it must be to not only put in a full school day and a tiring practice, but then follow up with a brutal tutoring session immediately afterwards. It wasn't like she was the one practicing. She was simply a bench-warmer and another set of eyes.

However, she couldn't have just been feeling guilt. Yuki felt something else within her, not that she could find the word to name that emotion. She relaxed onto her bed and rolled onto her side, away from the window. All the spines of her poetry books staring back at her, yet none of them could offer her the word she was looking for.

Even if she were unaware of it, the word she was looking for was one she already knew; she'd just never needed to use it before:

Endearment.

Entry #4:

I would have never known

That a day would come

In which I was shown

That I could be glum

Due to a color I know so well

A green that captivated me

Now under a spell

The following day, the classroom had been abuzz for most of the lunch hour. Yuki's faithful companion hadn't visited her for the first time in a few days. While she knew it would be immature to feel bitter, Yuki couldn't help but feel a bit upset. She wondered what was keeping him from spending time with her. She'd come to value Kuroko's company as it kept her from feeling as frustrated with Akako for ignoring her.

The two girls hadn't spoken for several days. Sitting next to each other was uncomfortable; it seemed some unspoken agreement had passed between the two of them – neither would be speaking to each other.

Yuki could tell that Akako and the other girls were enraptured with something. They'd been brandishing some magazines wildly, admiring something within the pages. Even if Akako was speaking to her, Yuki probably wouldn't have reacted so animatedly towards whatever was in those magazines anyways. Gazing at models wasn't exactly her thing.

As the lunch hour began to come to end, Akako returned to her desk, one of the magazines now displayed in front of Yuki. All she caught was a flash of blond hair and the name, "Kise Ryota," before the magazine was whisked away from her line of sight.

Yuki rolled her eyes before organizing her desk for class.

Whatever had those girls abuzz, it was probably for the best that Yuki had no part in it.

Yuki's walk over to the gymnasium was filled with dread, but she couldn't seem to understand why. Each step seemed to grow heavier. As she neared a corner, she caught a flash of gray hair.

Haizaki.

Yuki felt her dread dabble into something that can only be called panic. She'd never run into him before, not until both Nijimura and Midorima identified him to Yuki.

Seeming to notice her presence following behind him, Haizaki turned around lazily, a vindictive look on his face. "Heh. Aren't you our newest manager?"

Yuki nodded slowly, trying to get a feel for this gray-haired giant in front of her. "And you're Haizaki Shōgo."

He smirked at her, bending a bit to get to her level. "I didn't realize I was so famous that even the underclassmen knew me."

Yuki wanted to groan. She'd unintentionally sent him on an ego-trip. "Not to burst your little bubble, but it's a manager's duty to know all the players on the team." Yuki walked past him, trying to remain as confident as possible. "Besides, you're not that special."

Because her back was directed towards him, Yuki missed the look of outrage stretching across his features. After she continued on her way, Haizaki licked his thumb, a smirk replacing the grimace. It looked like he would be going to practice again today.

Something of a rarity.

Yuki was trying to be proactive at practice. She had the water set up nicely, no spills or random accidents while she prepared everything. The towels were laid out strategically, so that they were easier to grab. She had her notes in her hand and a roster of the players on the bench next to her.

She could do this.

However, as she continued to take notes on the various maneuvers the team did, Yuki couldn't help but feel a chill begin to crawl up her spine. All she felt were eyes upon her, but each and every time she looked up, the feeling dissipated. No one was looking at her.

"Morine."

Yuki slowly met the coach's gaze, her heartbeat beginning to pick up rather aggressively. She nodded at him politely, moving into a slight bow.

He seemed satisfied with Yuki today, so her nervousness began to go away. "I see you're starting to take this position seriously." Without glancing at her, he proceeded, "I wanted your thoughts on the players. Sometimes we need fresh eyes to notice things that us older folk no longer are able to."

She nodded, her head feeling sluggish. "What would you like to discuss first?"

"Have you noticed anything in particular?"

Yuki briefly looked at her notes before focusing her attention to the team. "I think this is a strong team."

He looked at her expectantly, the lights flickering across his glasses. Yuki took that as a sign to continue. "But, well, I can't help but feel that something is missing."

"Strong, but not invincible."

"Well, that's not how I would explain it."

He shifted his gaze over to the younger first years on the team. "How would you explain it, then?"

"I think everyone is too reliant on their own personal talents and not the team itself," Yuki paused, unsure if that was too blunt. She decided to soften the comment, "By that I mean that in the future, I can imagine this being an issue. Self-reliance. Too much of it."

"I assume you've never been on a team before."

She shook her head.

"A team is divided into various positions so that individuals can gravitate towards one that suits them. Thus, they are expected to become masters in that area. To be the best, each member has to be the best in their own position."

Yuki wanted to desperately disagree with him – that his view was too narrow-minded. However, what could a child really say in response to someone who took that viewpoint to heart? To the man that went to sleep at night knowing that there were members of this team that would never achieve the level of mastery he desired. To the man that knowingly sentenced young boys to a fate of trials and tribulations for simply a spot on a bench.

She hung her head. If he had wanted her opinion, he sure had a funny way of showing it.

With the director on the bench, Yuki had felt safe. Whatever feeling had been nagging her earlier had completely vanished. No one was scarier to her than the man currently seated on her right. However, it seemed that he'd been satisfied for the portion of practice he saw, and decided he'd leave the rest of the practice to the other coaches.

She felt lonely as the team took a break to rest and recuperate. They'd broken off into groups, one of which being Midorima and Akashi, calmly speaking about something. Yuki couldn't resist watching how the two of them interacted. She hadn't seen Aomine near them – then again, she often missed him during practice. He was constantly doing something or practicing at speeds her eyes couldn't keep up with. Murasakibara was probably the biggest enigma on the team. He still had a daunting number of snacks and sweets in front of him.

Yuki could feel her jaw tensing. He definitely scammed her the last time they met. How else could he afford such a wide expanse of food? She was never buying anything for him again.

A shadow loomed behind her. Yuki turned around, wondering who could be standing so close to her.

Haizaki. Again?

"Haizaki-san?"

"Let's take a walk, Manager."

"We're still in the middle of practice."

Yuki was starting to piece together that the uneasiness from earlier was due to the human being watching her now. Haizaki must have been staring at her throughout practice.

He bent down closer to her, his face a finger's length away from her own. One of his large hands touched her shoulder, "Don't tell me you're scared now? Where did all that confidence go?" His hand began to clamp her shoulder tightly, a sharp pain increasing in intensity.

"Please remove your hand from my shoulder." Yuki refused to give in to his jabs at their meeting in the hallway earlier. However, she could feel herself tensing up every second.

"Other girls seem to enjoy my company, Manager. Why are you being so difficult?" His breath was tickling her face. It was driving her insane.

"Why can't you take a hint?"

She saw a flash of red in his eyes. Yuki was really starting to make him angry. His proximity was giving her an opportunity to analyze his face. From his messy hair, to his narrow eyes and piercings, Yuki could tell he had the ability to be attractive, but the edginess morphed his features into something more frightening.

He was someone she would have rather not have as an upperclassman.

"Haizaki Shōgo."

Yuki closed her eyes, her tense posture slackening. With a sigh of relief, she opened them again, seeing Haizaki's eyes trained entirely on the individual who called him out: Akashi, with Midorima behind him. Akashi was focused on the individual looming next to her; however, Midorima seemed preoccupied with looking at Yuki.

"Is everything okay, Akashi?" Haizaki started, his hand relaxing on her shoulder. She could see his entire mood shift to a lazier one. "I was just getting to know our new manager on the team." He placed his large hands in his shorts' pockets, a completely different person from who he just was.

The tension between the two of them was palpable. Akashi seemed to contemplate what to say before stating that break was almost over. After another few moments, Haizaki moved away from Yuki and lazed back over to the court. The breath Yuki had been unintentionally holding was released.

"Did he hurt you?" Akashi was looking at Yuki, concern present. Seeing that Akashi capable of such an emotion seemed impossible for her to comprehend. She shook her head, before motioning to rub her shoulder lightly. "Well, just my shoulder, but I think it's okay."

Akashi seemed satisfied with her response before returning to the court, his eyes still trained on the upperclassman. Midorima, however, seemed to have an entirely different reaction.

"What part of 'Avoid him,' is so difficult for you to understand?"

Yuki bit out, "The part where I happened to come across him in the hall, stroke his ego and then deflate it all in the span of five minutes." She rubbed her shoulder for a bit longer before standing up. "I didn't mean to do that, Midorima-san, really."

He seemed to consider what she said before zeroing in on her shoulder. "Do you need to go to the nurse?"

Yuki shook her head. "I'm just going to take a walk for a bit; I need to clear my head."

She could see the concerned look still in his eyes. She smiled at him a bit. "I'm fine; I promise." As she began to walk away, she added as an afterthought, "Maybe I should have had a lucky item for the day, huh?"

Yuki missed the slight raise of his lips as she left the gymnasium.

"Are you sure you're not the one playing on the team, Yuki?" Her father was grinning at her while she rubbed her shoulder. She figured there would be a bruise for a few days.

"I'm positive." She was pleased that her father figured it was due to helping the team that her shoulder hurt rather than an upperclassman attempting to harm her.

Ignorance is bliss.

Her father had called her into his study for the evening, a cold cup of tea sitting on his desk, wanting to have been drank a long time ago. "Do you want me to reheat your tea?"

He shook his head, "That's irrelevant," he waved her over from where she had been looking at him from – the doorway. "I have good news."

"Define good news."

Her father flicked her arm, causing her to jump. "Ow! What was that for?"

"For being a brat," he smirked at her. "Remember my friend I told you I'd try and contact to help Kuroko?" Yuki nodded. "Well, it just so happens that they're going to be arriving in Japan tomorrow."

She was reeling from the information he just told her. Yuki wanted to jump for joy, but then she thought about what he said a bit more. "They're not from Japan?"

Her father shook his head, "They are, but they've been abroad for a long time." He genuinely smiled at Yuki. "So, go tell Kuroko, 'Good things are coming.' It's about to get very, very exciting around here."

As she walked up the stairs, Yuki couldn't help but think about what her father said.

How much more excitement could she take?

A/N: Writing Haizaki and Nijimura in character is such a challenge when I haven't read the manga or watched the anime in ages, so I hope I did okay.

A lot of dialogue in this chapter, but I think it's going to get very exciting from here on out.