Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Kuroko no Basket!
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1st year – Too Academy
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Too Academy vs. Rakuzan
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89-93: 30 minutes played – 4th quarter (start)
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"Are you okay?" Susa asked glancing at Mac worriedly.
"…Fine," she said as she exhaled and wiped her forehead.
Susa nodded and a glance at him told her that he was feeling it as well. They all were. This was rough. Just like she knew it would be. She looked over at the Rakuzan players and saw that they did look rather tired as well, but not as much as they did.
She frowned as she thought hard. They had to do something or they would end up losing. She really wanted to win. To win with this team. She looked at Seijuro who was watching her with a calculating look in his heterochromatic eyes.
She had known before they even started the match that he would be the one she had to look out for, that without Daiki there on the court with them that she would be the one to face him. It was very much like how it was with Ryota, she could handle it for a little while, but…
She sighed and inhaled deeply. No, she had to stop those thoughts. Thinking that it was impossible was the first step to defeat. There was always a way. A wry smile crossed her face as she realised that the last thought sounded awfully like something Tetsuya would say.
"Alright," she said loudly and her team looked at her. "Let's fight!"
"Yes," Wakamatsu and Sakurai both cried while Imayoshi smirked and Susa smiled and nodded in agreement.
...
"You know you can't win," Seijuro said as he dribbled the ball.
"You know better than me that I won't listen well when you talk like that," she told him and reached out to take the ball but he avoided her hand like she knew he would and she smirked making him frown for a moment before the ball was taken from his hands by Imayoshi.
"You…" he frowned at her but she was already running toward the hoop with Seijuro behind her. She was forced to stop when Imayoshi was headed off by Mibuchi, but Imayoshi still had the ball.
Seijuro was in front of Mac again and kept his eyes on her but she knew he was aware of where the others were now with his Eagle Eye.
Imayoshi passed the ball to Sakurai who immediately got into shooting position and by using one of his quick release shots managed to score a three-pointer.
"Take that, jerk!" Sakurai glowered at Hayama who blinked at him.
"Looks like dark Sakurai is here," Mac muttered to Susa who smiled.
...
Seijuro was dribbling the ball with much speed and moved through them like they weren't even there. He reached the hoop and jumped up making Susa jump as well to stop him.
Just as it looked like he was about to shoot and Susa had the hoop covered due to his larger frame Seijuro smirked and lowered his hand and passed the ball to Mibuchi who was waiting slightly behind him.
Mac cursed inwardly as she tried to reach the shooter but with a perfect executed Heaven-Shot the ball was in the net and they had taken another three-pointer.
"I can't believe he can do that," Imayoshi grumbled.
Mac nodded but she glanced over the bench where Daiki was watching with a small frown. She could practically see him twitching to enter the court to join them to play. She actually took a second to marvel in the fact that it looked like he wanted to play before going back to the original thought, that he could also do what Seijuro just did. Kiyoshi, too, but not as effortless like Daiki and Seijuro.
"Come on," she said. "We still have some time left."
Imayoshi nodded sharply.
...
Hayama was dribbling the ball using four fingers and a fierce scowl on his face as Susa looked calmly back at him as he did his best to stop him.
"My four finger-dribble will overpower you!" Hayama declared. "Just you watch!"
Susa didn't reply much to the other boy's frustration Mac was well aware that Susa's calm attitude could annoy many but she like that about him.
"Why don't you stop talking and actually play," Susa just said after a moment as he had stopped Hayama from moving and then Mac was there and with a burst of speed managed to take the ball from Hayama who cursed.
Mac dribbled past Mibuchi and was faced with Nebuya who glared down at her. She took a step back to create space for herself before she shot the ball through the air, but he was ready and jumped up stopping the ball before it reached the net.
"It won't be that easy to get past me," he told her.
"Looks like it," she admitted.
...
98-110: 37 minutes played – 4th quarter
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Mac dried the sweat off her forehead as she stared at Seijuro who was looking back at her with a calculating look in his heterochromatic eyes and she dribbled the ball knowing that she had to get past him.
He smirked slightly as if he was reading her mind and she could almost imagine them being back in Teiko in a gym playing one-on-one just having fun, but the sounds from the cheering crowd were enough to bring her back from the past.
"Mac!"
She faked going to the left before spinning around and going to the right only to find that he was already there and she barely managed to avoid losing the ball to him as she stepped back and kept control of the ball.
Troublesome, she thought as she eyed him. He smiled and she huffed.
"What will you do now?" he asked. "I will stop you, Mac."
"And I'll keep trying until I get past you, Seijuro," Mac answered determinedly.
"Hmm," he hummed. "I see."
Mac used another fake this time going to the right and turned to the left and knew he would follow as he had before, but this time she did another quick turn and went back to the right with more speed and determination taking note of how he had balanced on the wrong foot and was a second too late in following her movement. She was past him and then when faced with Mibuchi she passed the ball to Imayoshi.
"Good move, Mac," Seijuro said as he ran past her again and she allowed a small smile to cross her lips. "But I'll stop you next time."
"We'll see," was all she said.
...
"Annoying," Wakamatsu growled as Mayuzumi suddenly stole the ball from him and even Mac would admit that she had lost track of Rakuzan's shadow for once.
Mayuzumi had directed the ball over to Seijuro who passed the ball quickly toward Mibuchi but Imayoshi was there and was about to take the ball when Mayuzumi once more was there and directed the ball over to Hayama who grinned happily at getting the ball.
Hayama went up against Susa who missed his timing only by seconds and Hayama took a two-pointer.
...
103-119: 40 minutes played – 4th quarter (end)
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Whistle!
Mac sank down at the floor as she heard the sharp whistle from the referee signalling the end of the match. Her body heavy with exhaustion and she all she could do was trying to catch her breath again as her mind went momentarily blank.
It was like someone had turned off the sound and she could only see the Rakuzan players smiling and exchanging high-fives and laughing soundlessly and a glance up at the crowd showed clapping hands and grinning faces but everything was silent.
Then it was like the switch was turned back on and the sound exploded around her, cheering and clapping all surrounded her and she found herself wishing everything was quiet again.
A glanced at her own team told her that they were in much the same state as her, either standing bent over resting their hands on their knees or sitting on the court trying to catch their breath.
They had lost.
It…hurt. It hurt more than she had expected it to. Something heavy had settled on her chest and was hindering her ability to breathe. It was heavy and felt like it was trying to pull her down in a well of agony and despair.
She almost snorted at herself realising that she sounded really dramatic even in her own mind, but she couldn't help it. It was what it felt like. Defeat wasn't fun and she was not used to feeling like this on the basketball court.
"Kenzie," Daiki was in front of her and looked down at her with a worried expression on his face.
"Daiki," she tried to smile but it came out more like a grimace. He was kind enough to pretend he didn't notice. She accepted his help getting up and her legs wobbled a little.
She inhaled and pushed away the need to cry. She wasn't going to cry. Not now and not in front of everyone. Daiki's hand on her elbow was warm and steady.
...
Remus was watching the court from the stands and looked at Mac who was standing beside her team in the line-up after the match. She was keeping a brave face and looked like she was not too upset by the loss.
He had, of course, noticed that she had played against that Akashi Seijuro who had been with her that day. They had looked to be going all out against each other as well, but by the looks of it, he was the stronger of the two.
He frowned slightly as he looked at Mac. She hadn't looked as distracted and jumpy this match like she had in the last one. The day before had been…bad. He had winced and felt guilty when he saw the paleness of her skin and the way her eyes flickered over the spectators clearly afraid of what she would see.
If not for the deep need, the desire to get to know James and Lily's girl he would have turned back and gone back home. He almost had, but… he couldn't give up. Not now. They had found her. Finally. So, he wouldn't back down now and neither would Sirius.
He realised that his foolish dreams of finding a Mac who would be excited to see them, to get to know them and learn more about her parents was just that. A foolish dream. Unrealistic. They should have seen that this would also be a possible reaction, but honestly… he hadn't been prepared for it.
And neither had Sirius. His friend had protested Remus' decision to step back and wait for Mac. He had wanted to go and find Mac again and talk to her, he was sure that if they just talked to her she would change her mind. That she would realise that they were her family.
Remus had tried to explain to him, to point out the fear that was in her eyes, in her very being, but… Sirius was blind to everything when he wanted something bad enough. He always had been. It had gotten him into trouble at school often enough, trouble either he or James had to get him out of.
"She just doesn't realise it yet," Sirius had said earlier in the day. "She wants to know us, Remus! She's James' girl. She wants to know them and us. She just has to listen…"
Remus wasn't so sure. He had seen the fear in her eyes, something Sirius refused to admit seeing. But Remus had seen it. James and Lily's little girl was scared of them. What a slap in the face that had been when he realised that. Remus sighed.
He was also worried about the fear she had shown because she hadn't recognised Sirius' name or face so she didn't know that Sirius had escaped from Azkaban. So, what had her so scared of them?
And not to forget the anger she had shown at the mention of her aunt and uncle, and this time it wasn't just her either. Her two friends had looked like they wanted to rip something apart by just the mention of them. What was going on there?
...
"Congratulations, Seijuro," Mac smiled as she hugged her friend shortly.
"Thank you, Mac," Seijuro said just as she pulled back and squared her shoulders.
He looked at her for a moment before he allowed a small smile to cross his lips. He never was one to show his emotions too much.
"You played well, Seijuro," Mac said pushing a strand of hair out of her face as she looked at her friend. "I will need to work harder to beat you, I see."
"I'll always win," Seijuro said confidently.
Mac huffed and her lips twitched amusedly. Normally someone would get annoyed or angry at the arrogant words but she was so used to it that all she felt was a nostalgic sense of amusement.
"I think something is wrong with me," she muttered to herself but Seijuro heard her and arched a brow. "I should get annoyed at you for that remark, but I'm more amused than anything else."
He snorted.
Mac turned grave again and looked away from him and over at her team who was preparing to leave the court. Daiki was standing next to Sakurai but didn't pay any attention to him as he kept his eyes on her and Seijuro.
"I…didn't think losing would hurt this much," she admitted quietly. "The fact that I disappointed my team… I don't like it."
Seijuro said nothing. There was nothing he could say in that situation.
She sighed and straightened as she pulled herself together and glanced over at Seijuro again to find his sharp eyes locked on her.
"Well," she said and smiled a little even if it did feel a little strained. "I'll see you later, okay? Stop by before you leave for Kyoto again?"
He nodded.
...
Mac fell back on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. She hadn't bothered to change into her sleeping clothes or shut the door to her room as she just wanted to get to her bed and curl up and sleep for the next year.
She had kept herself together as best she could in front of her team. She was going to be strong for them and she just…couldn't let them see her break apart.
"Mac?" Taiga's voice sounded and she blinked and glanced to the door and found her cousin standing there looking at her. Ah, she hadn't closed the door.
"Hm?" she looked back at the ceiling.
"Are…you okay?" he asked uncertainly.
She didn't answer for a moment.
"Hmm…. I wonder?"
"Eh?"
She could hear the confusion in his voice and almost smiled but her mouth wouldn't cooperate and she sighed.
"I'm sorry, Taiga," she said quietly. "I just… We lost."
"Oh," he said and she glanced at him to see him frown and still hovering in the doorway with an uncertain air around him. "I…"
"You don't have to say anything, Taiga," she told him. "I'll be fine. I just need to process it."
He nodded in understanding.
"Are you hungry? Should I get something for you to eat?" he asked.
This time a small smile did make it onto her face but she shook her head.
"Thank you, but I'm not hungry," she said. "I just want to sleep."
"Alright," Taiga said. "Well…just let me know if you need anything."
He said it gruffly and she could make out the blush rising on his neck. She nodded.
"I will," she nodded. "Thank you."
...
She was alone again and this time the door was closed and she allowed her tears to run down her cheeks and uncontrollable sobs shook her body. This feeling… it was heavy and overwhelming. The agony of losing and the disappointment in herself and her lacking ability and the failure she felt in her ability to pull her team through like Daiki would have. They relied on her strategies but it wasn't good enough.
She curled up on the bed and pressed her pillow to her chest as she tried to keep herself from breaking apart.
She suddenly wished that Daiki was there… she wanted to curl up to him and feel his strong arms around her and wanted to hear him tell her that she was okay and safe. She always felt safe when he held her.
After a while, she managed to calm herself down and stumbled into the bathroom. She was very grateful that Taiga was in his room with the door closed. She had a feeling he had done so out of consideration for her.
She washed her face and the cold water had her feel slightly better. She looked up and saw her face in the mirror and she grimaced at the redness in her eyes.
Falling back into bed she allowed her mind to the topic it wouldn't' leave alone. It seemed determined to torture her so she guessed she should just get it over with. The match played in her mind over and over again. She could see where she should have done something different and how easily Seijuro had read her moves at times.
She sighed. They had worked so hard. She had watched how everyone had done their best and worked hard to get there, they had taken steps to reach where they are now.
All this work and for it to end like this… it was painful. Yet, she felt an oddly proud feeling rise in her chest as well. She knew that it was this hard work that had allowed them to reach the final of Inter-High at all.
She just wished… she wished they could have won.
She felt a weight settle on her chest and looked down to see Nao curl up on her chest and she smiled a little as she took in his warm eyes looking at her and the soft whine coming from him. He was always such good support.
She felt her tears stop and she closed her eyes as the exhaustion from the match was making her tired and her crying had also tired her out.
...
The next morning found Mac awake and up before dawn unable to get any more sleep. She groaned as she noticed that the time was only around six in the morning. Her body felt restless and sore, but she knew it would be impossible to stay in bed any longer.
She shifted Nao enough to get out of bed an padded over to the window and looked out and noticed the way it was starting to grow lighter outside and the darkness giving room for it to take over. It felt…oddly symbolic.
With that in mind, she changed into her training clothes and made her way out of the apartment so she wouldn't wake up her cousin. She was grateful that it was a Saturday and that she didn't have school or practice that would take up her time.
Her mind went over the match again as she ran through the silent streets. She only passed the occasional early riser but she didn't pay them any attention. She found it slightly easier to think about the match now. While it still hurt she didn't feel the same overwhelming pain and disappointment like she had the night before.
"I'm not going to allow it to bring me down," she muttered to herself as she rounded a corner and sped up a little more. Her body protested a little but she ignored it.
She knew better than letting the loss paralyse her for too long. She had wallowed the night before and that was enough. She would pick herself up and work on getting the others and herself stronger so that they would not be that easily defeated next time.
Ideas of strategies and training menus took over and she worked them over in her mind as she reached the apartment again and stopped just outside breathing harder than before. She leaned forward with her lunges burning for breath.
Catching her breath and stretching her muscles knowing she would feel sore and stiff either way but she also knew that the stretching would help some at least. &o
It was still early when she entered the apartment again and she glanced at the door to Taiga's room finding it still closed and she guessed he was still asleep. That was good. She wanted some more time to herself before he woke up.
Mac sat down at the kitchen table with a bowl of oatmeal with apples cut and put on top and her notebook opened in front of her.
...
Taiga noticed that the door to Mac's room was opened when he stepped out of his room and a glance inside told him it was empty. The bed looked slept in at least and Nao was still sleeping on the bed.
Where was Mac, by the way? She hadn't left the apartment, had she? He was worried about her. He knew that she must be hurting over the loss. She had seemed upset last night and he wasn't sure if he did the right thing leaving her alone, but at the same time, he knew he didn't want anyone around when he dealt with a loss.
He entered the kitchen and stopped short when he saw Mac seated by the kitchen table writing in a notebook with a small frown on her face and she was muttering quietly to herself as she wrote. She looked really absorbed by whatever she was doing and hadn't noticed him entering the kitchen. He glanced to the bowl next to her and noticed that it was empty.
"Mac?" He finally asked hoping he wasn't going to be yelled at by interrupting her.
Her pen stopped moving as she looked up at him startled.
"Oh, Taiga," she blinked and then glanced at the clock. "Oh…I didn't realise it was this late."
He glanced at the clock himself and noticed that it was 8.30. It wasn't that late, was it? He had slept longer than that before, hadn't he?
"Late?" he asked stupidly. "How long have you been up?"
She shrugged.
"Since around six, I think," she said. "I went for a run, though."
"A run? Already?" he asked.
"I felt restless," was all she said. "There's oatmeal on the stove if you want. You should probably heat it a little before you eat it, though."
Taiga nodded and glanced down at the notebook.
"What's that?" he asked.
"My notes on the team," she said and gave him a small smile. It was progress, he thought as he took in her smile. It wasn't as happy as before but it was a smile. "I had some ideas on how to get stronger, so I wrote them down before I forgot."
Stronger… if Mac and her team were getting stronger then he definitely would need to get stronger. He almost sighed but also felt an odd sense of excitement at the idea.
"Are you…okay?" he asked awkwardly.
"I'm fine," she said and he nodded in acceptance even if he knew it was a lie.
...
Mac froze as she stepped into her room again having taken a shower and changed clothes. How could she have forgotten?! How could she have forgotten about the fact that she had been found by…by someone from magical Britain?
She felt like hitting herself for the forgetfulness. Okay, she had been distracted by the game and in a way, it was good that she had forgotten about them, but… what if they had snuck up on her when she had been distracted?
She sighed and sat down at the bed.
Now it came rushing back at her in full force. She had been found. She knew it might happen one day. But she really hadn't thought it would happen now. She wasn't ready. She wasn't prepared. The fear that had paralysed her when she first was faced with the two men had faded a little and she was starting to feel…curious? Angry? She wasn't sure, it was confusing.
Her mind felt like it was overloaded with feelings, thoughts and basically everything that had been happening over the last few days. She couldn't believe that it had only been a few days and not weeks.
What should she do? What did she want to do? What did they want? Really want? Get to know her? Was she supposed to believe that?
She snorted to herself.
Like she would believe that.
She frowned as she tried to figure out what they would want. Would they tell anyone else about her? had they told anyone? Should she expect more people to show up for her?
The last thought had her uneasy.
...
"They lost?" Kiyoshi asked with a pensive frown on his face.
Taiga nodded with a sigh.
"I guess it shows just how strong that Captain of theirs is," Hyuga commented and glanced over at Tetsuya.
"I still can't believe that Mac lost, though," Koganei said and Mitobe nodded next to him.
Tetsuya was silent as he watched Taiga but a worried frown was on his face.
"How is she?" Izuki asked Taiga but he glanced at Kiyoshi.
"She says she's fine;" Taiga snorted. "She was up at six this morning and went out to run and when I woke up she was working on some plans for making her team even stronger."
"Stronger?!" Furihata asked incredulously. "That's…insane! They're already so strong!"
The other first years, except Tetsuya and Taiga, nodded in agreement.
"It's natural, I guess," Riko said thoughtfully. "It's what we all do after a loss, after all."
"But…"
"It's good," Kiyoshi smiled and a relieved look was in his eyes. "She's getting back to her feet. That's good."
"You really care about her," Tsuchiba said looking over at his friend. "The fact that you're broken up and she's with Aomine…"
"I always knew she like Aomine," Kiyoshi shrugged. "I'm just lucky to have had her for a little while. Mac is special and she's one of my best friends. That won't change just because she's with Aomine."
They looked at him and nodded.
Tetsuya looked at Kiyoshi for a moment until he felt his phone buzz and he pulled it up to find a text from Seijuro.
Meet at our court now. Important. –Seijuro.
He frowned.
"Kuroko?" Taiga was looking at him and he noticed that the others also looked over at him now.
"Sorry…but I have to go," he said.
"What? Why?"
"Akashi-kun has summoned me," Tetsuya deadpanned.
"Eh?"
"Why?"
Tetsuya shrugged.
"Don't know," he said. "He just said it was important."
"I don't like it…" Riko frowned. "Should you go on your own? I'm sure Kagami…."
"No," Tetsuya interrupted her. "I'm fine on my own. Akashi-kun won't do anything to us. We're his friends."
"Friends…" Hyuga looked doubtful.
Tetsuya just shrugged again. He knew they didn't understand and that was fine. He didn't need them to. He was worried about the fact that Seijuro had summoned him and he would guess the others as well. He was sure it was about Mac. Just a feeling he had and it worried him.
"Well, then," he said. "See you later."
...
Shintaro was doing his homework when the text came. He sighed as he read it and pushed his glasses up his nose as he wondered why Seijuro would summon him now. Or he guessed, them because Seijuro rarely summed just one. At least not anyone who wasn't Mac, and with her, it wasn't as much a summon as a request.
Don't ask Shintaro to make sense of Seijuro's respect toward Mac. It just was.
He closed his book and stood up before grabbing the dart and walked out of his room and stopped by the living room where his father and mother were seated. His father had the day off from the hospital and was now reading the newspaper and his mother was knitting and chatting to his father who was just replying with a word here and there. Shintaro wondered if he even heard what she was saying or just made a sound when he thought he should.
"Ah, Shintaro," his mother said when she spotted him. "Are you going out?"
"Yes," he said stoically.
"I thought you were working on your homework," his father said glancing over at him.
"I was," Shintaro said.
"Then…"
"Akashi asked to meet," Shintaro explained shortly. "I'm sure the others will be there too."
His parents looked at him before they nodded.
"I see," his father said and frowned a little. "How is that friend of yours, Shintaro? Mac?"
Shintaro blinked before he blanked his face again. He had forgotten that his father had met Mac.
"Mac?" his mother asked curiously. "Oh! Is that the girl who was on your team, Shintaro?"
"Yes," Shintaro nodded sharply. "She's fine, not that I care either way."
His parent exchanged a look Shintaro wouldn't bother to try to understand.
"Good," his father said.
"You should invite her over one day, Shintaro," his mother said. "I would love to meet her."
Shintaro frowned and didn't answer as he turned and left the room. He had let them know he was leaving, so there was no need to stand there listening to them anymore. His mother's invitation for Mac was lingering in his mind, though. Maybe he would invite her. His mother had asked him to after all.
Not that he cared if she came or not. Not at all.
...
Atsushi gave a longing look toward the sweets store he had just found and pouted. He really wanted to explore it, but because of Seijuro's text h couldn't. He turned around and promised himself that he would go back there another day and explore it. He bet they had really good sweets in there and maybe he would find something he hadn't tasted before!
His mouth watered just thinking about it and he almost turned around to go to the store now, but then he remembered Seijuro and thought he would be angry with him. He didn't like it when Seijuro was angry with him. He was scary.
Why had Seijuro asked him to come and meet him now, anyway? It wasn't like him. They'd met the other day when Rakuzan had beaten them at basketball. His team was still upset with the loss, but he had expected it. It was against Seijuro after all.
Seijuro always won. He didn't see why the others were so upset by that fact. They should just accept that Seijuro was the strongest one. He had already failed to challenge him back in Middle School, so he knew.
Though, he did feel worried about Mac. He knew she and her team had lost in the finals yesterday. Daiki hadn't played, but Mac had and Atsushi knew she would have fought against Seijuro with the intent to win. He had thought that she could have won. Maybe. She was the only one he could see winning against Seijuro, but even she failed.
He hoped she was okay. He really didn't want to have to crush Seijuro because he hurt Mac. That would be really scary!
Maybe he should find some sweets to bring to Mac. Sweets always helped.
...
Ryota frowned as he sat on a bench on the side of the court. His team was practising but he didn't pay them any attention. He was worried about Mac. He had seen the results of the Final of Inter-High and he knew that Mac had lost.
"Oi!" A hand connected to his head and Ryota fell down at the floor.
"Ouch!" he wailed and looked up at his Captain. "That hurt, Captain!"
"Don't just sit there spacing out!" Kasamatsu yelled. "We're practising!"
"But…" Ryota whined.
"No but!" Kasamatsu growled at him taking a threatening step forward. "You should join us instead of just sitting there in your own bubble!"
Ryota pushed himself up and rubbed his head as he eyed the older teen warily.
"But I'm worried!" He protested.
"Worried?" Moriyama asked having come over to save Ryota like he had started to do. At least when he felt that Kasamatsu had gotten enough hits in. "About what?"
"Mac," Ryota frowned.
"The beautiful flower!" Moriyama said dreamingly and Ryota could practically see the flowers popping up behind him.
"Don't even think it," Ryota scowled at him and Moriyama blinked at the protective note in Ryota's voice. "But, yeah."
"Why?" Kasamatsu asked calmer now.
"They lost against Rakuzan yesterday;" Ryota said.
The two blinked and exchanged looks.
"Losing isn't fun, but…" Kasamatsu said. "She'll be fine, Kise."
"But losing against Akashi-cchi is… different," Ryota said and he could tell that they didn't understand. They couldn't. In ways, he didn't either, but he knew that for Mac especially it was different to lose against Seijuro. It was different for all of them, but for Mac… well, it was different.
"She'll be fine," Kasamatsu said again and Ryota looked at him. "She's strong, Kise. I know that. She'll get back up and she'll get stronger."
His voice was gruff but sure and Ryota could tell that he really believed what he said.
"So, get yourself out on the court to get stronger yourself because next time we're playing Too Academy we won't lose!" Kasamatsu yelled.
Ryota was about to answer when his phone buzzed and he pulled it out and checked the message before Kasamatsu could say anything. A frown settled on his face for a moment before it cleared.
"Sorry," he said looking over at his two teammates. "I've got to go!"
...
Mac and Daiki arrived at the court together. Daiki had come over to her apartment to check on her when the text arrived so they made their way to the court together.
The others were already there and Mac frowned as her suspicion was proven right. Seijuro had summoned them all. She wasn't sure why he had, though.
"Hey," she smiled briefly at them all.
Despite having lost the match yesterday she felt happy to see her friends. They did always bring her a sort of feeling of safety and security. Seeing them reminded her of all those times she had spent with them and how they always saw her.
"Mac-cchi!" Ryota was the first to react and bounced over to her and pulled her away from Daiki and into a hug. She smiled slightly as she hugged him back before she was pulled back by a scowling Daiki.
"Mean," Ryota pouted at Daiki.
"Mac-chin," Atsushi said and Mac looked over at him and ignored the bickering between Daiki and Ryota as she focused on her tallest friend. "I have sweets for you."
Mac blinked and noticed that he held out a hand and saw the bag of sweets in them. She reached out and accepted it.
"Thank you, Murasakibara," she smiled up at him and even chuckled when he reached over and ruffled her hair.
"Mac-chin is welcome," he said.
She looked away from Atsushi and over at Shintaro who was watching her closely with a sharp look in his green eyes. It wasn't lost on her the way he scanned her obviously trying to get a handling on her wellbeing.
"I got you your lucky item of the day," Shintaro spoke up and held out a beautiful butterfly ornament.
"Thank you, Midorima," she smiled at him and felt a flash of amusement when she caught the blush in his cheeks.
"Hmph," he looked away and pushed at his glasses again. "I don't care."
"Are you alright, Mac?" Tetsuya asked making the others jump while Mac just turned to look at him.
"I'm fine," she smiled and for the first time since the end of the match the day before felt it was true. With them here she was fine.
"Mac," Seijuro spoke up and stepped over to them, having allowed the others to fuss over her in their own ways before he did so. She thought that she was maybe the only one to catch the worried look in his heterochromatic eyes as he looked at her.
"Hey, Seijuro," she smiled and walked over and gave him a hug before whispering in his ear, "I'm really alright. Don't worry about me."
He smiled slightly as he pulled back and nodded at her. He seemed to relax slightly.
...
"So, why did you call us all here?" Ryota asked after a little while and looked over at Seijuro.
Seijuro turned serious and glanced at Mac who frowned over at him wondering what he was thinking. Seeing the way he looked brought her other worries up in her mind again and she sat up as she realised what he was thinking about.
"Seijuro…." She frowned at him.
"You need us, Mac," he said and looked at her like the others weren't even there. "We're here to support you and they'll need to know."
"I…" she stopped.
She did need them, but… was it right to burden them with this? Besides, it involved magic and…she couldn't tell them. Could she?
"What's going on?" Ryota asked looking between the two. "Are you in trouble, Mac-cchi?"
Mac shook her head absentmindedly as she stared at Seijuro.
"They will want to help you," Seijuro said. "We won't let you deal with it alone, ok?"
Mac swallowed. What should she do?
"What's going on?" Shintaro glanced sharply between Mac, Daiki and Seijuro who seemed to be the ones knowing what was happening.
Tetsuya, Atsushi and Ryota all looked at them as well with worry in their eyes.
...
...
AN: What do you think? XD
This chapter was a nightmare to write! Honestly, I can't tell you how many times I rewrote this chapter. I never seemed to be happy about it. I'm still not completely happy with it, but it's as good as it gets.
Thank you for your patience and hope you enjoyed this new chapter! :)