Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Kuroko no Basket!

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Warning: not a happy chapter :(

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3rd year – Teiko – Nationals

"I'm sorry, Tetsu," Mac said quietly. "I wish there was a way you could play, but…"

"It's impossible," Seijuro added when Mac trailed off, but his tone wasn't as unkindly as his words might suggest. Actually, Mac thought she saw a flicker of sympathy in his heterochromatic eyes as he watched Tetsuya. "The doctor insisted that you needed to stay here."

"But… I have to play!" Tetsuya protested and turned his puppy eyes at Mac who felt rotten for not being able to do anything to help him now. "Mac…"

"We definitely have to play basketball together," Seijuro quoted making Tetsuya look over at him. "That's what Ogiwara-kun said. He's the reason why you're so worked up now, isn't he?"

Mac glanced at Seijuro, but his face was unreadable as he stared at Tetsuya. She felt slightly uneasy as she watched him, but pushed it back as she focused on the matter at hand right now.

"Ogiwara-kun?" Tetsuya echoed. "He…"

"He stopped by to see you before you woke up," Mac said quietly. "He was as disappointed as you about not being able to play against each other like you promised. Though, he was also glad you would be okay."

Tetsuya clenched his hands together in his lap and stared at them for a long time without saying anything. Mac was content to wait for him to gather himself so she leaned back in her seat waiting.

"Akashi-kun," Tetsuya finally spoke up. He sounded determined and pleading at once as he turned his wide eyes at Seijuro who arched a brow at him. "During the final…please don't hold back in the game. I beg you."

Seijuro gave him a long look at that look of utterly calm on his face, but there was a flash of curiosity and surprise on his face as well. Though, Mac thought she was the only one who caught it.

"No matter the point difference?" Seijuro finally asked or challenged.

Mac frowned but didn't say anything. She knew what Tetsuya wanted and even if she was ageing with him she worried about the result of that request. Right now, Seijuro wasn't the best to make that request to.

"I'd get even angrier if my opponent took it easy on me," Tetsuya said confusing both listeners. He looked up and met Seijuro's eyes. "Ogiwara-kun told me that once. That's what he'd say now if I asked him. "

Seijuro nodded and stood up.

"Ok," he said. "Then I'll let them witness Teiko's true strength."

Mac sighed and Seijuro looked at her. "I'll catch up."

Seijuro gave her a look before he nodded and slipped through the door. Mac sat back down and looked at Tetsuya who still looked kind of lost and she gave him a small yet sad smile.

"Ogiwara was worried about you," Mac said and Tetsuya looked at him.

"He…saw the game?" Tetsuya asked.

"Yes," Mac nodded. "He and his team all watched. I think he was impressed by your ability."

Tetsuya smiled a little and nodded.

...

Mac narrowed her eyes when she finally joined her team before the game and her eyes immediately sought out Seijuro who was talking with Ryota. Something was going on, but she wasn't sure what.

"What's going on?" Mac asked.

"Nothing," Atsushi yawned, "we were just talking about the game."

Mac waited for them to say anything else, but no one did so she sighed and placed her bag (with Nao inside) on the bench and sat down. She pulled out her notebook and quickly read over her notes on Meiko. She knew that she didn't really need to, but her promise to Tetsuya had her look at it.

Ogiwara Shigehiro, 14, ace and small forward of Meiko.

Physical ability: 5 out of 10 – but potential to get better.

Technique: 6 out of 10 – also potential to get better.

Stamina: 7 out of 10 – great.

Mental strength: 9 out of 10 – good, but is it good enough?

Special ability: 4 out of 10 – not the best.

Mac knew that while he didn't really have any special abilities like her team he was a good and proficient player. He had brought his team to the final and that showed that he had skills both as a player and as a leader.

"Why are you reading that?" Daiki asked.

"Just because," Mac shrugged and closed the book. She glanced over at the other side of the court and saw Ogiwara talk to one of his teammates with dark hair. Mac recognized the player as Mochida Reiji another good player, but Mac knew that Ogiwara was better.

Daiki gave her a curious look before he shrugged and looked away from her. She felt suspicious again; they were hiding something from her. But what?

"Okay!" Sanada called and they gathered around him. "Remember: do your best and win this! The school is counting on you to win and show them just how great Teiko is!"

Mac listened with a blank face as the coach went on and on about how the school was counting on them to win and how they represented the school and their saying was victory is all.

"Team to start: Akashi, Aomine, Potter, Kise and Murasakibara," Sanada finished off and Mac rolled her shoulders to loosen up.

...

"Finally – the grand finale!" The speaker spoke up just as they lined up ready to play. "The game between Teiko Middle School and Meiko Middle School starts now!"

Mac smiled briefly at Ogiwara who nodded back at her but smiled all the same. She noticed that Daiki looked at them confused and with a frown. She also noticed the way Seijuro watched the other boy and knew that he was still angry about their last conversation. This could be…bad.

Mac stole the ball from one of the Meiko players and passed it to Daiki who…passed the ball to Ryota? She blinked and almost stopped in her tracks as Ryota scored. Just what was that?

Mac passed and dribbled like she always did, but she couldn't help but notice that her friends acted strangely. She watched them along with Meiko who seemed to try to work as hard as they could and she was impressed by their will to fight. It was clear that Ogiwara was the leader and was the reason why his team hadn't fallen apart yet.

Mac missed her chance at stopping the shoot and Meiko scored, but instead of the annoyed look on Atsushi's face, he looked…pleased? She frowned as she wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. She shook her head and pushed the observation out of her mind, she must have read his expression wrong.

"Alright!" Mac heard Mochida call and saw him high-five Ogiwara who had been the one to score.

Mac felt a spark of hope; maybe this was the one where their opponents would be playing until the end?

Mac played the first quarter before Sanada subbed her with Shintaro who looked stoic as he always did, but there was a shadow in his green eyes that had her furrowing her brows in thought as she sat down on the bench.

...

Mac frowned. This wasn't normal. Her team, her friends, were acting strangely. They played with a caution that she hadn't seen in them before, but there was no reason for why it should be there. There was no reason for this…careful deliberating they were doing. Not that most would spot it, but she knew her friends. She knew the way they played better than her own mind. She was pleased that they passed between each other and seemed to be playing together now, though. Maybe they had listened to her and were trying to play as a team like she had told them to do so many times before? A little spark of hope flared inside her as she watched.

"Teiko is tough!"

"They are completely controlling the game!"

Mac heard someone from the spectators say and she knew it was right, but why the caution? The bad feeling she had grew as she watched Daiki miss an easy ball that he normally would have had and Meiko scored.

"What's going on…" Mac whispered to herself. "Just…"

"Potter-san?" Sanada asked but she ignored him as she leaned forward and stared at the game.

She watched Seijuro with the ball and he took extra time to dribble past the Meiko player in front of him and wasn't satisfied before the player fell and landed on his butt. The look of shock and horror on the players' mind was one that Mac had seen before and she sighed.

Seijuro took a small step back and threw the ball toward the hoop and Mac watched as Daiki jumped to dunk the ball through the hoop. He didn't smile when he landed nor did he say a word to Seijuro who had turned and was on his way back to position.

"Come on! Let's push on!" Ogiwara yelled and Mac glanced at him. He looked tired but determined. His eyes were locked on Seijuro's back.

"Ogiwara…" one of his friends said sounding lost.

Mac's heart clenched. This was it…

"Don't give up!" Ogiwara said making Mac snap her head up and look at him. They stood close enough for her to hear their conversation. "The game isn't over yet! We still have a quarter left and we will fight until the end!"

"Listen to your Captain," Mochida said with a small smile.

Ogiwara grinned and Mac blinked.

"But they're monsters," one of the other said and Mac clenched her hands as the familiar words washed over her. Monsters… monsters… she looked away from Meiko feeling strangely disappointed and her stomach dropped as the word settled in her mind again. Her eyes found Daiki who was looking bored out on the court. How would it be different if he hadn't been called a monster so regularly? Would he believe that he was someone that could fight someone on an equal basis one day? Would he have given up on waiting for that someone if those around him had tried harder?

She would never know. It tore her apart that she would never know the answers to her questions, all she knew was that the word 'monster' had changed her friends, Daiki especially. She hated the word 'monster'.

...

Mac glanced at the scoreboard almost out of boredom and her eyes widened in horror. She straightened in her seat so abruptly that Sanada glanced at her, but she didn't see him. She didn't see the other bench players as she stood and stared at the game in front of her in horrified realisation. She had been so stupid! How could she not have seen what was going on before?! Stupid, stupid, stupid! Her nails were digging into her palm as she stared at her friends who were taking things way too far. She felt her throat go dry and breathing got harder as her ears started to ring. Anger, betrayal and disappointment rushed through her body as she stared at her team, stared at her…friends.

"Potter-san?" Sanada asked.

"No…no…no," she whispered almost begged. "They wouldn't do this… they wouldn't…"

But… they would. She knew they would. She had always known that this was a possibility that their boredom would lead to something much worse than just competing each other for points. She saw Ryota make another point and then look at the scoreboard. He looked pleased.

"Coach!" Mac said and Sanada arched a brow at her.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Please, let me play!" Mac said.

"But…" Sanada started.

"I need to stop this!" Mac said.

"Stop what?" Sanada asked confused.

Mac glanced at him and then back at the court. There was still time to do something and she was not going to stand there watching her friends ruin everything they had worked for. Not like this.

"Please!" Mac saw the surprised look on Sanada's face before he nodded and she shrugged off her jacket and straightened her jersey.

The whistle sounded making the players on the court pause and Mac stood with a blank look on her face as she watched the surprise on Shintaro's face as he realised that he was being subbed out. Mac didn't say a word as she changed place with Shintaro on the court.

Shintaro frowned as he noticed the blank look on Mac's face, but he could sense a storm of emotions underneath her mask and he knew. He knew she had figured it out and a stab of guilt pulsed through him where he sat on the bench. She was upset and they were the reason for why.

...

"How's the game going?" Tetsuya asked quietly and glanced at Momoi who sat on the seat where Mac had been sitting earlier.

Momoi smiled slightly and looked a little nervous but Tetsuya didn't comment on it just waited for her to answer.

"The fourth quarter has just started," Momoi answered, "I only know that we're leading by a large point difference."

Tetsuya nodded having expected that, but he had to see. He had to see how his team was playing against Ogiwara and Meiko. He got off the bed just as Momoi stood up alarmed.

"Kuroko-kun! You shouldn't stand!" Momoi protested. "The doctors…"

"I have to see," Tetsuya dismissed her. "I'm going to go and take a look."

"But…Mac-san said…"

Tetsuya hesitated a little but shook it off. "I remember that there's a TV close by and it's airing the game. I'll watch it on that."

"But…" Momoi tried again but he cut her off.

"Even if I can't play, I'd at least…like to personally witness the game's outcome myself," Tetsuya said and Momoi closed her mouth and nodded silently.

Tetsuya felt his head hurt as he moved toward the area with the TV, but he pushed the pain away as he was too worried and curious about the game. He could feel Momoi close beside him and knew she was worried about him, but he couldn't care about that right now.

There was a crowd in front of the TV and Tetsuya could hear them talk among themselves as they watched the game. He could tell they were in awe and slightly shocked at what they were seeing, but he didn't pay them much attention as his eyes found the TV.

He saw his team passing the ball and then he saw Mac who was frowning and not even trying to have fun like she normally did, she looked to be trying to do something, but he wasn't sure what.

"As expected with such enormous strength," one of the men in front of him commented. "They sealed their win."

"But Meiko is also doing a good job," another said.

"Yes, but they know they can't win," the first one said with a sad sigh. "But watching Teiko is always exciting, but also scary."

"Scary?"

"They're just kids and already that good," the man said making his friend nod in understanding.

Tetsuya never took his eyes off the screen even as he heard the conversation in front of him, it wasn't the first time he had heard things like that. He inhaled sharply as he took in the match on the television.

"Look at the point difference…there shouldn't be any problems," Momoi commented from beside him but her voice sounded like it was getting through a thick fog.

"…bad," Tetsuya whispered.

"Eh?" Momoi looked at him, but he wasn't really hearing her or seeing her.

"Something weird is going on in this game…" Tetsuya whispered with wide eyes filled with horror.

...

No matter what Mac tried to do it didn't seem to be working, their lead was too great and she couldn't actively play against her own team. She only urged them on and made a serious effort to meet Meiko as serious as she could.

"Too strong…" she heard someone mutter.

Mac took a moment to watched Meiko and saw the tiredness and exhaustion on their faces as they stood slightly hunched over staring seemingly unseeingly in front of themselves.

"It's not just their offence, but their defence is also flawless," he said.

"I know, but let's play our best!" Ogiwara said trying to be optimistic as the situation allowed. "There's still time left on the clock. Let's make another goal!"

Mac didn't betray anything as she listened to their talk as she looked at her own team with sad eyes. They were so used to being feared and not having anyone fighting back that they didn't seem to notice that they finally had someone who was trying.

Mac took in the new attitude in Meiko with a calculating look as she saw they managed to win the ball and frowned. Ryota had lost it way too easily… she looked to see Atsushi being the only one between Ogiwara and the goal and him…She felt her eyes widen when she saw Atsushi deliberately fail to stop him.

She knew that no one else had seen it, not yet. She moved and ignored the hand trying to stop her not caring that someone tried to hold her back. She watched as Ogiwara shot the ball. The ball hit the metal of the hoop before bouncing back to the court again making a rush of disappointment go through the gym.

"Hey…" Atsushi's lazy voice sounded. "It's rare for me to deliberately let you pass. You could've at least scored."

Mac was almost there when Atsushi caught the ball and when he jumped to dunk the ball into their own net she was ready and with more strength than she believed she had left she jumped and managed to slap the ball out of Atsushi's hands.

The ball bounced on the floor just as the buzzer went off signalling the end of the match. Mac glared at Atsushi who stared at her shocked. She could hear the muffled sounds of people talking, but she didn't pay them any attention.

Both teams were quiet as they took in the last events of the game. Mac looked over at Ogiwara and saw the expression on his face as the horrible truth sank in. His expression faltered into the broken look she had seen so many times before, but this one was harder to watch.

"Mac-chin," Atsushi said, but Mac ignored him and walked away from him and back to the bench where a stunned Sanada was still seated.

The doors opened and Tetsuya burst through them making Mac glance at him but she still didn't say anything.

"Ogiwara-kun!" Tetsuya yelled.

...

Ogiwara Shigehiro liked to think he was an optimistic person who was able to handle most things with a smile. He believed that he could come back from a loss and be better next time, but now… how was he supposed to come back from this? If not for Tetsuya's friend they would have been handed their points and the score would have been 111-11. Now it was 111-9 and for the first time, he was actually glad they hadn't made the last shot.

He couldn't look at his friends knowing that their expressions matched the broken one on his own face. He knew they were feeling just as horrible as he did and he couldn't watch it. He couldn't face them knowing he had pushed them to do their best and still it was just thrown back in their faces. Those cold eyes followed him and he believed he would never forget them.

"Ogiwara-kun!"

Ogiwara turned sluggishly toward the sound of Tetsuya's voice and saw him standing at the side of the court breathing harshly and a bandage around his head. The look on his face was one of horror and Ogiwara could only register the look but not really take in what it meant.

"…Kuroko," he couldn't say anything else. Words were lost and didn't have a meaning anymore.

...

Tetsuya's eyes were filled with tears as he watched his childhood friends eyes look so lost and broken, the smile and goofy expression lost. He could only hope that it wasn't lost forever. He couldn't believe that this had happened. That they would do anything like that… he was barely aware of the two teams lining up or the award ceremony or the questions about his head there he stood rooted to the place. The voices of his teammates were lost to him as darkness and pain filled him.

Why did he play basketball? Why did he enjoy the game? What exactly was funny about it? It wasn't fun, it wasn't even great… it was horrible and would only ruin everything. It was for the strong and players like him were not meant to be playing basketball.

"Tetsu," a voice far away said and he blinked when a hand grabbed his arm and tugged at it. He followed knowing that the voice was safe, that the voice wouldn't hurt him.

Ogiwara's eyes were burned into his mind and Tetsuya could not get rid of the image of his friend's broken and haunted eyes. Every time he closed his eyes he could see them. He had broken his promise to his childhood friend. No, it hadn't been broken but completely destroyed. Crushed. Demolished. The words weren't harsh enough to describe just how he felt about it.

His chest hurt. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't…breathe…

"Hey," the voice said again. "Shh, Tetsu. It's alright. Just breathe. In and out…"

He tried to do as the voice said, but it was hard. It felt like someone was sitting on his chest and wouldn't get off. He gasped.

"Come on, Tetsu," the voice urged a little more frantic now. The hand rubbed his back and he leaned into the touch almost unconsciously. "Breathe for me, Tetsu. You're alright. Just breathe…in and out….in and out…"

He did and he must have done it right because there was a relieved sigh from somewhere, but the hand continued to rub his back. Up and down. He used the contact to try and centre himself and get his muddled thoughts together.

The surroundings came back to him and he realised that he was back in the room he had left before. Suddenly he wished he had never left. That he had never seen what he had just witnessed. Maybe he then could have pretended that it had never happened. Maybe he then could have…but he couldn't. It had happened. His team, his friends, had completely trashed his childhood friend and his team. They had ruined everything with their basketball.

"Tetsu."

Tetsuya looked to see that it had been Mac who had been there with him and gotten him out of the gym and helped him breathe again. He should have known. Mac who always tried her best to have fun like her boyfriend had taught her. Mac…but she had been playing with the others. She had been there and let it happen. Just like she let them compete for goals in their matches…

He flinched back from her and saw the pain on her face as she realised what he did. She let her hand fall back down and watched him with large green eyes. Eyes that were clouded with pain and turmoil as well.

"I'm sorry, Tetsu," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

"Why?" he whispered back. "Why did you all do that?"

Mac looked at him for a moment her eyes unreadable before she sighed.

"They were bored," Mac said as if that explained everything, which it probably did when Tetsuya thought about it. "They wanted a challenge."

"You allowed it," Tetsuya accused glaring.

Mac didn't say anything and just stared at him and to him that was admittance. He got up and paced in front of her. His hands clenched to the side and he felt anger and frustration fill him again.

"You allowed it!" He accused again. "You could have stopped them. You could have changed it. They listen to you. They would have stopped if you had said something."

Tetsuya didn't pause his pacing, nor did he look at her. His words spilt over and he felt so angry and hurt that he couldn't think.

"You always allowed them to do what they wished in the matches. You always took their side!" he cried. "No matter what they did you would push it aside and excuse them saying they were bored. That they're so strong and needs something to keep them motivated."

"Kuroko-kun!" Momoi interrupted. Tetsuya blinked, when had the younger girl gotten there? He looked at her and then to Mac who was still seated on the bed where he had left her and not saying anything. She was just watching him with a look of understanding and pain, and he felt bad for a moment.

Mac got up and without a word walked to the door where Momoi stood staring wide-eyed between the two. Tetsuya wanted to say something, but words wouldn't come.

"Please," Mac said so quietly that Tetsuya nearly missed it. "Make sure he's alright and that the doctors say he can go home. Let me know if he needs the hospital."

Momoi nodded and with that Mac left the room.

...

Mac walked into the locker room. The angry words from Tetsuya played in her mind and she knew he was right. It was her fault. She didn't acknowledge anyone as she made her way through the hallway and to the locker room.

She opened the door and stepped inside finding the rest of her team dressed and seated on the benches waiting for something. When they looked up she realised that they had been waiting for her. She made her way to the door that led to a room connected to their locker room. She didn't say anything as she closed the door with a sharp click.

She showered and got dressed as her mind went over everything that had happened. How could this have happened? She sat down and put her head in her hands resting it on her elbows popped up on her knees. Nao jumped out of her bag and pressed his face against her leg whining softly.

Nao nudged her leg and whined again, she looked down and met his amber eyes that were looking worriedly at her. She reached down and scratched his ear with a hand. He burrowed into her touch and she let his presence calm her down and comfort her.

"Everything is ruined, Nao," she whispered. "I messed up. Tetsu is mad at me."

It hurt knowing that Tetsuya was angry at her, and she knew that he had a right to. She should have seen what they were doing. She should have seen that they planned to have the score match like that. Even if she managed to stop it at the last second, she hadn't been able to stop them playing with Meiko like they did.

There was a knock on the door and she looked at it. Her team were on the other side of it and for the first time she was dreading had to go out and face them. She wished she could just disappear.

Nao licked her cheek and she smiled slightly. "Thank you, Nao."

She held her bag open and he jumped inside again. She closed her bag and pulled it over her shoulder facing the door. She inhaled deeply and pushed the hurt look in Tetsuya's eyes out of her mind as she opened the door to find Daiki standing there.

...

"Kenzie," he frowned when he saw her face. "You okay?"

"Okay?" Mac raised her brows as she echoed the word in a quiet voice. "Okay?"

Mac wasn't sure what she had expected, but the seeming lack of understanding of what they had done was not it. She saw that only Shintaro seemed to have conflicting emotions and seemed to know what she was upset about. Though she was sure Seijuro also knew but he didn't betray anything as he watched her.

"You want to know if I'm okay?" she asked looking at Daiki.

"Yeah…" he said looking confused.

"You have no idea what could have upset me?" Mac asked.

"I…" he frowned. "I can see you're upset, but we won."

"Yes, we won," Mac said. "We won, but we lost something as well."

"What?" Ryota asked confused.

"Tetsu," Mac said and saw Ryota's eyes widen.

"Eh?"

"We hurt our own teammate!" Mac said. "You never said anything to me about your plan! I would have told you to stop it."

"That's why we didn't say anything," Atsushi said. "We just wanted to have some fun, Mac-chin. It's not a big deal."

"We were bored to just see who could score the most," Daiki said.

"I thought it would be fun to try something new," Ryota said but he looked a little unsure.

Mac shook her head.

"I have tolerated you competing to see who could score the most," Mac said. "I have made excuses for you and not said anything. I have stood by and watched as you've toyed with the other teams, but this… this is too much."

There was a silence in the room as they stared at her. She hadn't yelled, she hadn't raised her voice but that seemed to have an even worse effect on them as they shifted on their feet.

"But what does this have to do with Kuroko-cchi?" Ryota asked.

"Ogiwara Shigehiro," Mac said.

"The Captain of Meiko?" Shintaro asked pushing his glasses up.

"He's a friend of Tetsu," Mac said coolly. "They had promised to play each other in Middle School."

"I didn't know that;" Ryota said looking pained. "Is…is Kuroko-cchi very upset?"

Mac gave him an incredulous look and he wilted and flapped down on the bench.

"I didn't know!" He wailed.

Mac wasn't affected by his tears. She turned to look at Seijuro who was staring at her too. He hadn't said anything, hadn't participated in the talk that had been going on. His face was a perfect mask and she had trouble seeing through it.

There was no sound coming from the locker room, mysteriously everyone but the Generation of Miracles had left the room before Mac had come back. She guessed that Seijuro had told them to leave.

"Why did you do it?" Mac asked quietly breaking the silence and stepping closer to Seijuro. "Why did you feel the need to hurt Tetsu like this? You knew, Seijuro. You knew Ogiwara was Tetsu's friend. He asked you to face them properly and you promised."

Mac felt hurt and betrayed on Tetsuya's behalf, also she was hurt that Tetsuya blamed her for what happened and knowing that he was angry at her because she hadn't stopped it. She hadn't seen what was going on because she had believed in Seijuro. She had believed him.

...

Just then the door opened and Tetsuya stood there with a worried Momoi behind him. He stepped into the locker room and Mac couldn't fail to notice how Ryota looked at him guiltily and even Daiki looked a little worried. Shintaro hid his worry behind his stoic mask, and Atsushi looked bored.

"Why?" Tetsuya asked stepping toward Seijuro unknowingly repeating Mac's question. He ignored Mac as his eyes were focused on Seijuro. "Why did you have to play that kind of match?"

Seijuro narrowed his eyes and a look of impatience crossed his face. Mac knew he did not like being questioned again.

"Why?" Seijuro repeated. "The results are the same anyway. What does it matter that we manipulated the game?"

"I said I didn't want you to go easy on them," Tetsuya whispered.

"We manipulated the match;" Seijuro repeated. "Compared to just competing to see who scored the most points, this way the team concentrate even more."

"That's not what I meant…!" Tetsuya yelled shocking the others in the room at the anger he betrayed. He never got angry. He never got loud.

"I won't justify myself," Seijuro said coldly. "But if you wanted us to play seriously then why didn't you say something before? You don't care when the opponents have nothing to do with you, only saying these nice words when it's your friend. I believe you're the one trying to justify yourself."

Mac frowns and can see the hurt in Tetsuya's face, but she also sees the hurt in Seijuro. Sometimes she hates that she can see through his masks and walls, that she can see the hurt and lonely boy underneath his hard skin. It makes it so hard to be mad at him, but she is. She is mad.

She sees Tetsuya struggle to find the words to answer Seijuro, to find a way to show his side of the events. She knows and she wants to help him, but she is unsure how her help will be received at this point. He might not want her help anymore, and that hurt. She feels like an outsider at this moment, seeing both sides of the conflict yet unable to help mend the bond between them.

"I didn't know you had a friend on the team, Kuroko-cchi," Ryota spoke up. "Ah…but, it probably wouldn't have made a difference. I mean, playing seriously when they're so much weaker than us…"

"It's boring," Atsushi yawned. "You're too nice, right Mido-chin?"

"I have no interest in how you play," Shintaro huffed. "I only try my best to fulfil my role."

Daiki gave an almost pitying look at Tetsuya before he spoke up.

"It's not like we don't want to play seriously," he said. "They're just too weak. That's why we're trying to find ways so it's not boring."

Mac turned her attention to Daiki surprised that he spoke up and he was looking at Tetsuya with a serious look and didn't look bored at all. He almost looked like he did when he took basketball seriously and seemed to try to make Tetsuya see their side of things.

"I know you're upset, Tetsu," he said. "But…can't we enjoy the game just because we're strong? Don't we have a right to enjoy it too? They're just too weak to offer us the means to help us enjoy the game. They're the ones who don't come back and play."

"Meiko tried…"

"They only did that because we allowed it," Daiki interrupted. "But yeah, I'll admit that they had more spirit than most. Your friend especially, but… they still weren't strong enough."

Mac inhaled as she watched her friends talk and somehow this had turned out to be a place where they could talk seriously. Mac almost wished they'd had this talk earlier.

"What kind of game would you have to play for both the winner and the losers to be satisfied with the results?" Daiki asked with an arched brow as he stared at Tetsuya.

Tetsuya looked lost and Mac could see he was trying to find an answer to Daiki's question.

"I-I don't know," Tetsuya admitted and turned around. He walked to the door passing Momoi who had been staring at the scene with tearful eyes. He paused as he reached for the handle. "I just know that what happened today isn't the answer. I don't ever want to see that scene again."

Mac watched with regret as the door closed behind him and she wasn't lost to the fact that he hadn't looked at her or talked to her at all while he was there. She swallowed and shook her head. She had to get out of there.

"Kenzie?" Daiki looked at her.

Mac knew they were all staring at her and she closed her eyes for a moment. Their talk had managed to calm her a little, but she was still upset and angry at them all. She turned away from them and walked out the door without saying anything else. Just how would they come back from this? A lone tear fell from her eyes as she clutched the strap of her bag.

...

...

AN: I know... depressing! This was much harder to write than I imagined! I hate that match and I wished I could skip it, but then I realised that I would hurt the story if I did that. So here it is.

Just so you know, I didn't plan on Tetsu being mad at Mac but I think he's just so hurt and lost that he's lashing out. He'll come around. Mac will be there when he does. I promise :)

Next chapter will be the aftermath of this match and the high schools will enter the picture.