Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Kuroko no Basket!
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1st year – Too Academy
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"Kenzie," Daiki smiled when she joined them and sat down beside him. "You're here."
"Sorry I was late," Mac apologized. "I had something to take care of."
Daiki looked at her for a moment before he sighed and looked back at the court. It looked like they were about to start now.
"The winner advance to Winter Cup," Imayoshi said. "It's a decisive game."
Mac could hear the interest in his voice making her smile slightly. Imayoshi always took great interest in Seirin's games. They must impress him more than he would admit to.
...
Seirin vs Kirisaki Daiichi – start
...
The match started with Seirin winning the tipoff and Izuki got the ball. Mac smiled slightly as she saw it and arched a brow as he immediately passed the ball to Tetsuya who didn't pass it but caught it.
"Oh, he intends to use it right away," Mac murmured. "Interesting."
"Hm," Daiki said but she could tell he was impressed.
Tetsuya was not intimidated as he was challenged by a Kirisaki Daiichi player who seemed to know what was coming and intent to stop it. Tetsuya, however, was fearless and simply…vanished before appearing on the other side of him.
Tetsuya then shot the ball toward the hoop and Kiyoshi were there to dunk it in.
Mac couldn't help but smile when Kiyoshi made the first two points.
...
Seirin – Kirisaki Daiichi: 2-0 – 1 minute played
...
"Seirin games are never boring!" Imayoshi laughed. "How will Kirisaki Daiichi handle this? Seirin is the most aggressive team in Tokyo, too."
"Such high praise;" Mac commented looking at Imayoshi.
He just smiled.
Mac looked at Daiki who was watching Tetsuya with a pensive look on his face. She was sure he was remembering the times they played together.
She focused back on the match again. Her eyes scanned Kirisaki Daiichi and while most of them seemed kind of shocked or worried as they looked at Seirin she saw Hanamiya having a smirk on his face as he spoke. Her hands fisted as she saw the dark amusement on his face.
"Git," she muttered.
...
Mac frowned as she noticed the tricks that the Kirisaki Daiichi players were already using. Her insides felt like they were burning when she saw the purple-haired player, Hara Kazuya, deliberately swing his elbow back and only Taiga's fast reflexed made his elbow miss Taiga's face.
She really hoped that her plan worked. This would be the only chance they got. Unfortunately, they still got to play this match… But Mac was not going to let them get away with this…
She had spent hours pondering what to do and it had only been last evening that she had thought of Momoi. She hadn't kept in touch with the younger girl from Teiko, but that didn't stop her from texting her asking her to meet before the match the next day. It hadn't taken long before she had a reply saying that Momoi would be there. She let her mind go back to the meeting earlier and couldn't help but smile slightly.
"Hey, Mac!"
Mac turned and smiled when she saw the smiling face of Momoi. It had been a long time since she'd seen the other girl.
"Hey, Momoi," Mac smiled. "Thank you for meeting with me."
"Of course," Momoi said. "How are you?"
"I'm fine," Mac smiled. "How are you?"
"Fine," Momoi said. "I'm having fun with the basketball team. We're not as good as you guys were, but they're pretty good."
"Good," Mac nodded. "I am happy to hear it."
"Do you think you might come and watch us sometime?" Momoi asked.
"Maybe," Mac said.
"So, what do you need?" Momoi asked curiously. "Why did you ask me to meet you now?"
"I'm sorry for the short notice," Mac apologized. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything?"
"No, you didn't," Momoi smiled. "I didn't have any plans today."
"Good," Mac said a little unsure if she really should ask the younger girl about this or not.
"So, why did you ask to meet?" Momoi asked curiosity clear in her voice.
"Seirin is playing against Kirisaki Daiichi today and I was wondering if you would do me a favour," Mac said looking at Momoi with a serious look.
"What kind of favour?" Momoi asked curiously.
"Well, you see…" Mac started and quickly explained what she wanted from Momoi who nodded and looked serious as she listened.
"Of course!" Momoi nodded. "Leave it to me!"
She really would need to thank Momoi a lot when this was done. She probably should agree to come to their practices and help for a day or two. At least if she got results. Mac forced herself to not look around the crowd for any sight of Momoi.
...
Mac narrowed her eyes as Kiyoshi stepped in between Hyuga and Furuhashi Kojiro to stop the latter to elbow Hyuga in the face. This was really not pleasant to watch.
She noticed the narrowed look on Daiki's face as well and knew that he didn't like it any more than she did. While he was overpowering and crushed everyone he played, he never went out to purposely hurt them. He never tried to injure anyone.
She watched as Furuhashi passed a long ball to Hanamiya who was covered by Izuki but with an elegant dribble, Hanamiya was free and scored. Mac was annoyed to admit that it had been a good dribble.
...
Seirin – Kirisaki Daiichi: 2-4 – 2 minutes played
...
"That was close," Hanamiya said with a pleasant voice just as he stepped past Kiyoshi. "We almost crushed four-eye."
Kiyoshi felt his eyes widen in horror and anger.
"Stay out of our way," Hanamiya said before he ran back to his team.
Kiyoshi hated this. This was not the game he loved! Why would the game he loved threaten to hurt his friends?
"I don't care if I'm the only one who gets hurt, but I won't stand you hurting my teammates!" Kiyoshi said and barely noticed Hyuga looking at him and saying his name as he turned around just as he called, "Hanamiya!"
Hanamiya turned around and Kiyoshi felt a momentarily flash of pleasure seeing the wary look Hanamiya gave him.
"I will defeat you!" Kiyoshi promised.
He would. He would show that Hanamiya didn't frighten him. He was going to show everyone that he was stronger.
...
"Seriously, is the referee blind?" Abe exclaimed.
"They're using his blind spots," Mac said between gritted teeth as she watched the rough play from the Kirisaki Daiichi players. She could almost feel the bruises she knew everyone on Seirin must have received now.
"But seriously…" Wakamatsu scowled. "This is not a pretty match."
"No, it's not," Inoue agreed with a scowl.
Daiki just scoffed but didn't say anything.
...
Seirin – Kirisaki Daiichi: 10-7 – 4 minutes played
...
"Don't do it, Taiga," Mac muttered as she saw how her cousin lost control and went to hit Hara Kazuya in a fit of anger and loss of control. But then Mac blinked because Taiga fell flat on his face.
"Eh?"
"What happened?" Abe asked surprised.
"Tetsu," Daiki smirked.
Mac sighed tiredly, "seems like Tetsu still has his own way of handling things."
Daiki laughed once but nodded before his eyes narrowed.
"Amusing," Imayoshi said.
...
How great it would be to know what was being said on the bench at this very moment? Mac thought as she looked down at the bench where the Seirin players were seated for their timeout. Many were using ice to cool off bruises and pain; she worriedly eyed Tetsuya and Taiga before looking at Kiyoshi. The look on his face told her enough. He was not happy and she knew he would do something. She had been right in worrying about Hanamiya targeting Kiyoshi more than the rest. Even though he (and the rest of his team) went for all of them it was Kiyoshi who got hit the most and hardest.
Mac hated it.
"He won't like this," Mac muttered.
"Eh?" Sakurai asked looking at her.
"Teppei," Mac said. "He won't like seeing his friends hurt. He's going to do something stupid…"
She frowned and ignored the looks she got as she observed Kiyoshi and then let her eyes turn to Taiga who looked angry and upset. He had an ice pack strapped to his leg, though. Tetsuya had a blank expression on his face as he sat on the bench but Mac knew that he was angry.
"What?" Imayoshi actually opened his eyes more clearly in surprise when he took in the new formation that Seirin used when the game was started again.
Even Daiki straightened a little in his seat as he watched.
"Only one on the inside?!" Susa asked shocked. "Are they crazy?!"
Mac bit down on her lip as she watched as Hyuga shot the ball but it bounced off the hoop and it was Kiyoshi against two Kirisaki Daiichi players and she saw the elbows digging into his side as he jumped up and won the ball. He landed and turned ignoring the jabs and stabs he got for his efforts and jumped up and forced a dunk.
"Wow," Namamura gasped. "That was awesome."
...
Seirin – Kirisaki Daiichi: 10-9 4 minutes played
...
What followed was a show of rough play with much back and forth. No one seemed to be able to get a step ahead but with Kiyoshi fighting on the inside on his own showed amazing skill and talent. It also showed his heart and determination.
"Amazing," Abe said.
"Kiyoshi's holding down the inside by himself on offence and defence," Imayoshi said still sounding shocked.
"Eeeeh," Daiki said as he looked down at the court and smiled slightly. "Not bad."
Mac glanced at him when she picked up the impressed note in his voice and knew he had just paid Kiyoshi a huge compliment. Not many managed to get him to say that about their play anymore, after all. But right now she was too upset to really care about that so she frowned at him.
"He's being an idiot," Mac snapped making Daiki look at her.
"Kenzie," Daiki said.
"He is," Mac said stubbornly.
"He's refusing to let Hanamiya win," Daiki said.
"I know that," Mac frowned. "He's really good and it's amazing that he can play like that, but he still risks his knee and new injuries!"
"He knows what he's doing," Daiki said to calm her down. "You trust him, don't you?"
"Of course, but…"
"Then calm down, Kenzie," Daiki reached out and took her hand in his. "He'll be fine."
Mac gritted her teeth but nodded. She knew that. She also knew that she shouldn't worry like this, but she couldn't help it. She had hoped that Hanamiya would back off a little at least when she reminded him off her threat last year. But it seemed to only have made him angrier… She shouldn't have talked to him before the match… This was her fault…
...
Seirin – Kirisaki Daiichi: 26-23 7 minutes played
...
It was clear for the remainder of the first quarter that Seirin was affected by watching Kiyoshi being hurt and playing in their stead. More mistakes were made and Mac noticed that Hyuga seemed unable to calm down and make his shots like he usually did, even Taiga made rushed movements and made more fouls than normal.
"Not good," Mac sighed. "They need to calm down."
"It's understandable that they are upset, though," Sakurai said.
"Mm," Mac nodded, "but they won't be able to help if they do this."
Okay, so maybe she was a little hypocritical here (seeing that she wasn't exactly calm herself), but it wasn't like she was on the court and could help. They needed to get their act together in order to help Kiyoshi.
Her eyes found Kiyoshi who patted Taiga on the head and seemed to say something to calm him down.
Mac suddenly leaned forward with wide eyes making the others looked at her startled before looking down at the court. Mac didn't care, her eyes were on Hanamiya who had suddenly stopped and seemed to have a darker aura around him all of a sudden. She saw the snap of fingers and felt how her own hands fisted in anger as her eyes immediately turned to Kiyoshi (because it could only be a sign for something happening to him).
It was like time stood still.
Then suddenly Kiyoshi fell backwards seemingly out of nowhere and the Kirisaki Daiichi player, Furuhashi, fell back as well with his elbow out and promptly planted it in Kiyoshi's face as they both fell to the floor.
No….nonononono….
Mac was only in her seat because Daiki had taken her hand again and was holding her back.
Get up. Get up…
She was unaware of everything around her as she stared down at the court. She didn't hear the shocked exclamations from her team or the crowd. She only felt the warmth from Daiki's hand and felt her breath threaten to stop as Kiyoshi's teammates rushed to him on the court.
A relieved breath escaped her when she saw Kiyoshi move and she hadn't even been aware that she had been holding her breath. She watched as he managed to stagger to his feet again. He was looking at Hanamiya now and Mac wished she could hear what he said but she could guess. It was probably about protecting his friends and team from Hanamiya.
...
Seirin – Kirisaki Daiichi: 45-40 20 minutes played (end second quarter)
...
Mac watched as Seirin exited the court in order to take their ten minutes break in the locker room. Her eyes followed Kiyoshi especially and she was still upset that Riko had allowed him to continue to play when he had a head wound, but at the same time, she understood. Kiyoshi would not back down and would not let the others do it either.
Daiki stood up and stretched.
"Where are you going, Aomine?!" Wakamatsu demanded.
"Bathroom," Daiki yawned.
Mac watched him go before she got up herself. She felt restless and needed to move and she also was very determined to check on Momoi and see how her plan was going along because it was very clear that she would be going forward with it.
"Mac?" Susa was the one who called out now.
"I just have to check on something," Mac said allowing a small smile to cross her face. "I'll be back soon."
Susa nodded but he looked concerned.
...
Daiki scowled as he made his way to the bathroom. This match made him angry and for more than one reason. It was the kind of match that made him wonder why everyone called him and the rest of the (so-called) Generation of Miracles for monsters. The real monster was that creep out on the court now! That Hanamiya Makoto and his team (if they could be called that) who played to injure their opponents were the real monsters.
Another reason, a reason he didn't like admitting to, was that he hated to see just how upset Mac got watching this match. Watching Him getting hurt and play, watching Him protecting Tetsuya… Why was she still so affected by Kiyoshi? Why couldn't she just…let go? He also hated the feeling of respect growing as he watched Kiyoshi play; he didn't want to feel that about the boy that Mac cared for. It made everything more complicated and he hated complicated. He felt guilty for feeling like that, but he couldn't help that a part of him felt like this. He sighed and leaned against the sink and stared at the water coming from the faucet.
All of that couldn't help but make him remember how Mac once really liked Kiyoshi…that Kiyoshi had been Mac's first boyfriend and that she had cared for him and supported him…what if Mac realised that she still cared for Kiyoshi? What if she cared more for Kiyoshi than she did for him? Involuntarily his mind snapped to images of Mac laughing and hugging Kiyoshi, of her talking about him with that smile on her face…
No! Stop it! He shook his head and splashed cold water on his face in order to clear his mind. The cold water helped. He was not going to fret about that now. Mac loved him. Daiki knew that and he would do to remember that because she needed him now. He pulled a hand over his face ignoring the wetness as he did so and forced his mind over to the scene he had witnessed between Tetsuya and Hanamiya on his way to the bathroom. He was not surprised that Tetsuya wasn't able to stop himself from speaking up about the way Hanamiya played. He had done so a lot back at Teiko as well about the way they played basketball. Daiki felt something that resembled regret stir inside him but again he pushed it away.
That Hanamiya was a piece of work, Daiki thought. The mocking way he acted in everything and the darkness inside of him was unsettling. Daiki had never seen anything like it and the idea of Tetsuya being near him was not something Daiki liked. Nor was the idea of Mac being so involved…
And now the thoughts about his girlfriend were back again. He sighed.
"Oh," a voice suddenly said and Daiki looked up. "I didn't think I would see you here, Too Academy's Ace, Aomine Daiki."
"It's you," Daiki deadpanned as he watched Hanamiya step further into the bathroom.
"You're as rude as ever," Hanamiya said. "Be polite when you talk."
Daiki scowled.
"You're the one who's playing as dishonest as ever," Daiki said.
"Dishonestly?" Hanamiya repeated before he laughed. "Give me a break. That's just so we can trap them."
"Hmmm," Daiki hummed as he glanced at Hanamiya, "I don't know what you're talking about, but you're going to lose this match."
"What?" Hanamiya laughed. "You're underestimating me."
"No," Daiki said getting ready to leave the bathroom before he did something that he would (or wouldn't) regret but would get scolded for by Mac later. "It's not about me underestimating you or not. I don't care. But you made Tetsu angry. That's all."
"Eh," was all Hanamiya said.
Daiki shrugged and left.
...
Mac was back in her seat when Daiki came back and she gave him a curious look before looking back at the court. She saw the anger in Seirin and worried that they might not be able to play their best if they let their game be affected by their emotions. She sighed.
"They'll win," Daiki said as he took his seat next to her.
"Why do you say that, Aomine?" Wakamatsu frowned. "Kirisaki Daiichi has the advantage."
"I would agree with Wakamatsu," Imayoshi said. "Seirin looks to be angry."
Daiki shrugged and Mac smiled slightly.
"Hanamiya made Tetsu angry," Daiki said repeating what he had told Hanamiya. "Tetsu won't let them get away with it."
The others blinked but Mac felt a wave of relief and also a little amusement. She looked at Daiki who blinked at her.
"What?"
"You still have faith in Tetsu," Mac said. "Even if you deny it."
Daiki frowned but didn't answer but Mac hadn't expected him to so she just grabbed his hand and squeezed it as she kept holding it while turning her attention back to the court. His steady presence beside her calmed her down again.
"Good," Mac said when Seirin opened strong with a combination between Tetsuya and Taiga.
...
Seirin – Kirisaki Daiichi: 47-40 21 minutes played
...
Mac watched as Tetsuya was subbed with Koganei and knew that he wouldn't be able to play the whole match, but she couldn't help but worry because Tetsuya had been very important for Seirin so far and she wasn't sure what the others would be able to do without him right now.
"Eh," Sakurai blinked. "Did Hanamiya just give an order?"
"Hm," Imayoshi nodded.
"Their coach must have faith in him, then," Sakurai said.
"No, you're wrong," Mac said before Imayoshi could say anything. "Their coach quit last year. Hanamiya has been the coach and captain ever since."
"Really?" Sakurai asked.
"I don't know what happened," Imayoshi said. "But the coach quit, like Mac said. Hanamiya has now more freedom as both coach and captain."
Mac fisted her hands and refrained from saying anything. She knew why the coach had quit and she was shocked that the school had let it go. But then again, she had seen how far a school would go in order to win…
...
Mac frowned before she sighed. So that was the reason they subbed out a strong centre with someone who wasn't as strong or stronger… She had wondered… her eyes found Hanamiya and saw the satisfied smirk on his face.
"Izuki lost the ball again?" Susa asked surprised.
"Seirin is in trouble," Mac said.
"What do you mean?" Abe asked. "Sure, it's not often you see Izuki's passes stolen, but it has happened before…"
"It's more than that," Mac said as she observed the court. "Kirisaki Daiichi seems to know where Izuki will pass the ball, and they had positioned themselves perfectly in order to do so. Seto Kentaro, the one they just subbed in, has a freer role and is ready to steal the ball."
"Of course," Imayoshi nodded. "Hanamiya is a genius after all."
"Of course an Uncrown King is…" Wakamatsu started.
"No, not like that," Imayoshi said. "I'm talking about his brains. He's really smart. We attended Middle School together. After seeing a game once he can perfectly recall that game. Based on that he analyses the movements of an opposing team."
"The team's movements?" Wakamatsu repeated.
"Seirin's style is team basketball based on passing," Mac said making Imayoshi nod.
"It's pretty high-level," Imayoshi nodded. "Everyone constantly observes the floor balance and makes the most effective choice. But that's the trap. Hanamiya reads all of his opponents' attack patterns and steals the ball. Especially Seirin's number 5."
Mac found what Imayoshi said to be interesting even if she already knew most of it. She watched Izuki who had the ball again and seemed to hesitate as he was looking around for a new pass to make. She could tell he was affected by having the ball stolen from him and was hesitant in making the pass again now because of it.
And there the pass was stolen again and Mac had to agree when she heard Imayoshi say that Izuki was the perfect prey because he was normally so good and precise in his passes. It was easier for Hanamiya to read him that way.
...
Seirin – Kirisaki Daiichi: 47-48 25 minutes played
...
"Seto Kentaro is also considered a genius," Mac spoke up. "His IQ is 160. I think that's why Hanamiya wanted him on the team. They connect very well together on the court, and even if Hanamiya can read every pass but alone he can't always get it. But by using Seto he can. Then he can steal every pass."
"True," Imayoshi nodded and gave her a curious look. "You are very well informed."
Mac shrugged not caring to tell them that she had researched the entire team before this match. She had made an effort in order to understand the teammates that Hanamiya surrounded himself with hopefully helping her understand why they agreed to play like this. So far she hadn't had much luck in that department, though.
"In other words," Imayoshi said as he leaned forward resting his chin on a hand as he looked down at the court. "The first half's rough play was just preparation. If they can crush them with rough play, good. Even if they can't, their opponents become angry. Their attacks become simpler and easier to predict. He deserves to be called the Bad Boy. It's a nasty scenario. The more you struggle the deeper you fall into their trap. Seirin's in trouble. They're like prey caught in a spider's web."
...
Seirin – Kirisaki Daiichi: 47-58 30 minutes played (end third quarter)
...
Again Mac sighed as she watched her friends on the court. They all seemed silent. That was not good. She knew they would be upset. Especially Izuki seemed to be affected and she could understand it. It was not like him to miss so many passes and she was sure he was feeling responsible for it now.
The only good thing Mac could think of right now was that the rough play against Kiyoshi had subsided. There was no need for them to use it at the current time, so at least he got a small break from being jabbed, stamped on or hit. But that seemed like a silver lining in a bad situation.
"They forget something," Daiki spoke up.
"Eh?" Sakurai asked.
"Tetsu," Daiki said then he yawned. "I want to sleep…"
"Lazy," Mac nudged him. "But you're right. They haven't taken Tetsu into the consideration when they came up with that plan… I'm curious to see what he will do now."
"You have a lot of faith in your friend," Namamura said.
Daiki scoffed and looked away but Mac smiled and nodded, "of course."
"But they should get Hyuga to start scoring," Sakurai said. "His shots would be a great help right now."
"Yeah," Susa nodded. "It would be."
"He lets his anger affect his calm," Sakurai said. "Oh, sorry…"
Mac sighed but felt her lips twitch as well. She had thought Sakurai had done so well with the lack of apologies lately but then he went and said sorry again.
...
Cheers rose when Taiga dunked the ball through the hoop and Mac couldn't help it. She laughed.
"Kenzie?" Daiki looked at her.
"Sorry, Daiki," Mac chuckled. "But you have to admit that it is a very well thought out method to get past Hanamiya."
Daiki sighed but nodded and looked back at the court again.
"That attack," Imayoshi said sounding slightly surprised.
"Huh?" Sakurai asked.
"Tetsu's passes are normally always been according to their team play," Mac explained. "But now…"
"…now he's playing outside of the team," Imayoshi finished.
Mac noticed the confused looks so she explained, "his passes might always seem like they're out of nowhere for someone outside of their team, but they are a part of a pattern as well. It's a part of their team play. But now, the pass he just used wasn't a part of that pattern. Taiga had no idea that he would get the ball. Normally, he would have."
"He changed the course of the pass on his own," Susa surmised.
"Not even Hanamiya can predict a pass his teammates aren't expecting," Imayoshi said.
"But how did he catch that pass?" Sakurai asked.
"He just did," Daiki said. "When you practice with him every day, you start to understand how Tetsu thinks. What you need isn't logic, it's trust."
Mac smiled slightly as she nodded in agreement. "And it's something only Tetsu would be able to do."
...
Seirin – Kirisaki Daiichi: 55-60 35 minutes played
...
Kiyoshi knew they needed something more. He could feel the frustration in Hanamiya grow as they started to break free of the spider's web that he had crafted so well around them. Yet, it wasn't enough.
He winced in pain as he felt another elbow dig into his side and wondered if he could keep this up any longer. This was getting too be too rough…
"Well, well," Hanamiya's voice sounded. "Looks like I will have to crush you completely, Kiyoshi…"
Kiyoshi glared at him but didn't answer.
"You seem to handle pain very well," Hanamiya continued. "At least physical pain… but what about emotional? Eh?"
Kiyoshi frowned. Hadn't his attempts to hurt his friends been a stab of giving him emotional pain? What was he playing at now?
"I remember…" Hanamiya said before he paused with a dark smirk. "…a girl that came running to your side last year. Potter Mackenzie, right?"
Kiyoshi stilled.
"Ah, I see," Hanamiya smirked. "You still care for her, right? Maybe even wish for her to be yours again? Eh? You broke up, I know, but I know you still love her."
"Stop talking, Hanamiya," Kiyoshi snapped.
"Hahaha," Hanamiya laughed. "So touchy… she is pretty, though. Maybe I'll look her up when the match is finished."
Kiyoshi took a step forward but before he could grab Hanamiya someone pushed him back and he saw Hyuga glaring up at him.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Hyuga snapped.
"I'll kick his ass!" Kiyoshi snarled momentarily stunning Hyuga before he signalled to Riko who called a time-out.
...
"Calm down, Kiyoshi!" Hyuga snapped pushing Kiyoshi down on the bench.
"No, I'm…" Kiyoshi's words were cut off when Riko hit him in the head with the clipboard she carried.
"Shut up, both of you!" She scolded.
Kiyoshi rubbed his head but he still felt the anger burning in his chest and he itched to get up and hit something. Preferably Hanamiya.
Hyuga glanced at him but Kiyoshi ignored him as he tried to calm down. It wasn't often he lost control but now he could feel it slipping. The idea of Hanamiya going after Mac…
He listened to Riko talk even as he looked up at the crowd and found Mac. She was watching him and smiled slightly when she noticed him looking at her. It calmed him down a little seeing her looking fine.
...
Mac wondered what Kiyoshi was thinking when he looked up at her. She had noticed the sudden anger toward Hanamiya and Hyuga having to drag Kiyoshi away. It was a little strange and she worried about what had managed to get Kiyoshi to react like that. He was normally so calm…
"Hm," Daiki huffed and Mac glanced at him.
"What?" Mac asked.
"Nothing," Daiki sighed.
Mac frowned slightly but shrugged and looked back at the court and the game that had started again. She arched a brow as she noticed the new determination from Seirin now.
"I think they'll be fine now," Mac said.
...
"Argh," Wakamatsu said when Hyuga missed another shot. "They will depend on them now if they are going to have a chance to beat Kirisaki Daiichi. What do you think, Sakurai?"
Mac glanced at her classmate who was watching Hyuga with sharp eyes and not a sign of the apologetic and timid boy showed. She smiled amused as she waited for him to say something.
"His shoulders are tenser than normal;" Sakurai observed. "It's like he's overexcited."
"That's probably because he is," Mac added.
"Eh?"
"He wants to win more badly than the rest of them," Mac said. "Hyuga is the one who has had the hardest time to let go of what happened last year. He needs to settle it in his mind before he can come back to do what he does best, namely make the three-pointers."
"But then…"
"He'll get there," Mac said surely. "Just you wait and see."
...
"This is…" Sakurai suddenly said as Hyuga went for another shot.
"What? Another miss…?" Wakamatsu sighed.
Mac smiled just as Sakurai denied it, "just the opposite. It's perfect. It can't miss."
He did it, Mac thought as she looked at the more relaxed expression on Hyuga's face. What had made him suddenly relax and find peace she wasn't sure, but she had seen him look at Kiyoshi who had been fighting on his own again with a long look. It was like something had clicked inside of him.
Cheers sounded and Mac noticed that the bench players on Seirin almost jumped in joy as they cheered for Hyuga's points.
...
Seirin – Kirisaki Daiichi: 58-62 36 minutes played
...
The turning point had officially started and Seirin seemed to dominate more and more of the game now that Hyuga had started to make his shots as well and overall didn't make any mistakes anymore like he had been doing earlier in the match.
While Mac was pleased and she noticed how Kiyoshi seemed to come more into the match again as well now and lost the angry expression he had carried for the last few minutes she couldn't help but worry because Hanamiya was getting more and more desperate. She could see the desperation on his face even from where she was sitting and she knew that it wasn't a good thing…
"Amazing," Sakurai gasped.
"Hanamiya's spider web," Imayoshi said. "Kuroko broke the strands, and Hyuga's freed the team. Stopping Seirin now will be difficult."
Both teams scored but Seirin scored and it was clear that Kirisaki Daiichi was determined as well. She could hear the excitement buzz around her as everyone talked about Seirin and how they had made a comeback and also about Kirisaki Daiichi…
"Why are you frowning?" Daiki asked quietly. "You don't look happy that Tetsu and the others have found a way out…"
"Of course I am happy about that," Mac said, "but… I am worried…"
"About Hanamiya?" Daiki asked.
"He won't take this lying down…" Mac bit her lower lip.
Daiki hummed and nodded and reached over and took her hand in his again. She felt the warmth surround her hand and she squeezed it gratefully.
Mac froze when she saw Hanamiya in front of Tetsuya and a second later she felt Daiki freeze as well as he spotted the same thing.
"Oh, he better not…" Daiki growled startling the others (besides Mac).
Mac was about to jump to her feet not caring that she was in the stands and not able to do anything when Hanamiya deliberately jerked his elbow back and in the direction of Tetsuya's face.
It was like time stood still. Again.
Then milliseconds later (though it felt like hours) Tetsuya dodged the elbow and it was like everyone let out a breath of relief.
"That bastard!" Daiki growled really angry now and Mac wondered who he was kidding when he pretended that he didn't care about Tetsuya anymore? Though, he didn't really pretend that hard at all…
Mac watched with one hand fisted so tight that her nails were digging into her palm while the other squeezed Daiki's hard. He didn't protest or even seem to notice as he was apparently trying to set Hanamiya on fire with just his eyes.
Tetsuya, though, was glaring back up at Hanamiya as they stood there for a little while, Mac didn't take the time but it felt like forever, Hanamiya with the ball and seemingly bursting with rage before he suddenly moved shocking everyone.
He reached the three-point line and jumped and Hyuga and Izuki jumped as well trying to cover. He had the ball in one hand and Mac felt her eyes widen slightly but really she shouldn't be surprised…
"A teardrop?" Sakurai asked shocked when it was clear that Hanamiya shot the ball using only the one hand still high in the air.
Mac frowned and ignored the others discussing the new shot. Why did he play like he had when he was this good? That annoyed her even more. He had the potential like any of the uncrowned kings and he was wasting it… It made her angry.
...
Seirin – Kirisaki Daiichi: 69-70 39 minutes played.
...
"Tetsu is angry," Mac commented as she let out an annoyed huff and leaned back. "He won't let this stand."
"You're right," Daiki said leaning back as well looking down at the court. "Seems like he has a plan ready…"
Tetsuya was indeed getting ready and used his Ignite Pass to get the ball to Taiga who dunked the ball through the hoop.
Mac smirked lightly as she saw the shock in the Kirisaki Daiichi players.
"It's not over yet," she whispered.
For the last 45 seconds of the game it was Seirin who scored and completely overwhelmed the other team.
...
Seirin – Kirisaki Daiichi: 76-70 40 minutes played (end match)
...
Mac let out a breath as she watched the pure happiness on Seirin's faces as they cheered over the win. She wondered if she had ever seen them that happy before. She could understand it, though, this victory must feel even better than normal.
"They did it," she said softly as she watched Kiyoshi smile contently.
"Can't believe it," Imayoshi laughed.
"They did it," Sakurai said awed.
"Hn," Daiki said but he smiled slightly.
"Aw," Mac laughed when she saw Hyuga and Kiyoshi high-five without looking at each other properly and both smiling. Though, Hyuga looked a little awkward.
...
Mac followed with her team as they left the gym where the game had played and into the hallway leading out of the arena.
"Eh, isn't that…" Daiki suddenly stopped making the others stop as well to see where Daiki was looking. Mac followed his eyes and saw Momoi standing by the exit and clearly waiting.
"Ah," Mac said. "I'll be back."
She ignored the looks she got as she jogged away.
"Aomine?" Susa asked.
"She's the new manager of Teiko," Daiki explained when they looked at him. He frowned, "I wonder what she is doing here…"
"Looks like she was waiting for Mac," Imayoshi commented.
...
"Did you get it?" Mac asked when she reached Momoi.
"Of course I did," Momoi said and handed over the camera to mac. "I got a lot of pictures, Mac. It wasn't easy to get the photos just at the right time, but your advice helped and I was able to find the situations that the referees overlooked."
"Good job, Momoi," Mac smiled holding the camera tightly. "This is just what I need."
"Can I ask what you're going to do with it?" Momoi asked.
"I'm going to make sure that he never will play basketball again," Mac said darkly. "He will regret not listening to me."
"It was an awful match," Momoi nodded, "but why couldn't you take the photos? Not that I minded doing it…"
Mac smiled slightly and glanced over her shoulder to see Daiki and the others watching them curiously.
"He would have expected something of me," Mac said. "I didn't want him to get suspicious if he should have seen me during the match. He doesn't know you, so he wouldn't think it had anything to do with me if he spotted you taking pictures."
Momoi nodded, "I see. Well, I should go…"
"Okay, thank you again, Momoi," Mac said. "I'll contact you and see when it will be a good time for me to come to your practice. Maybe you should ask coach Sanada as well if it's alright?"
"Thank you, Mac!" Momoi beamed. "I will."
She looked over at Daiki and waved before she turned and left through the door.
...
Mac and Daiki were still at the arena while the others had left. She was very aware of the camera in her pocket and looked forward to taking a look at the photos and go forward with her plan.
"What did you and Momoi talk about?" Daiki asked.
"I had her take pictures of the match," Mac said.
"Pictures?" Daiki blinked.
"Yeah, of the dirty tricks Kirisaki Daiichi used," Mac said darkly. "Proof of what the referees missed."
Daiki looked at her before looking away. He sighed but didn't say anything and instead looked out of the window and blinked. He saw Taiga walking away from the building and he was alone.
"I'll be back," Daiki said and walked out before Mac could ask him why. She shrugged and continued on her way.
She found the locker room for Seirin just after Riko entered and she managed to catch the door before it closed just in time to hear Riko.
"Where's Kuroko?!"
"Ah, Taiga went to find him," Izuki said.
"Always wandering about," Riko muttered.
"He always does that," Mac commented making Riko jump and spin around.
"Mac!" Riko gasped. "You startled me!"
"Ah, sorry," Mac said sheepishly. "Didn't mean to do that."
"You're still here?" Kiyoshi smiled.
"Uh-huh," Mac frowned at him before she marched up to him and poked him in the chest. Hard.
"Ouch," he frowned.
"What-were-you-thinking?!" She growled. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"
"Um, sorry?" Kiyoshi said.
"Sorry?" Mac scowled. "Argh...you…You're so stupid!"
She hit his chest (lightly of course) and felt all of her frustration, fear and worry release and was frustrated to realise that her eyes were brimming with tears. She blinked not wanting to let them fall but a few rebellious tears did and she quickly rubbed them away.
Kiyoshi's expression softened and gently pulled her into a hug. Mac knew she shouldn't hug him, but she needed it. She needed to know that he was safe and not hurt.
"You're fine, right?" Mac asked.
"Just a little bruised," Kiyoshi said patting her back.
The others had suddenly gotten very busy with something else and Mac appreciated their attempt of pretending that they weren't paying attention and giving them privacy.
She sniffed and pulled back as she looked up at Kiyoshi and saw that he was telling her the truth.
"Good," she said. "That bastard…"
"Mac," Riko said startled.
"What?" Mac had wiped her tears away now and turned to look at Riko. "He is!"
"He's not the nicest person, I will agree," Riko sighed.
Mac huffed, "but you did well. Even Daiki was impressed."
"Aomine is here?" Kiyoshi asked.
"He is around somewhere," Mac shrugged, "he suddenly left on the way here, though. I don't know where he went…hopefully not to beat up Hanamiya for trying to hurt Tetsu."
"He would do that?" Koganei asked.
"To protect Tetsu? Yes," Mac said. "Daiki doesn't like Hanamiya."
...
Daiki felt a little conflicted by leaving but he knew he should let Mac meet Kiyoshi alone. He trusted her so he knew she wouldn't betray him and it wasn't like he wanted to see him or the others in Seirin. And he was curious as to where Taiga was going on his own and why he wasn't with his team.
He quickly found the reason why when he saw Tetsuya on the basketball court holding a basketball while talking with Taiga. He had obviously been playing by himself when Taiga found him. Daiki snorted.
"You're not tired enough after your game?" Daiki asked stepping forward.
"What…Aomine?!" Taiga exclaimed shocked. "What are you doing here?"
"Aomine," Tetsuya said more politely and nodded to him. "Nice to see you."
"You okay, Tetsu?" Daiki asked eying the shadow. "Not hurt?"
"No, I'm fine," Tetsuya said calmly.
"Huh, why do you care?" Taiga asked.
Daiki gave him a look that clearly said that he found the other boy stupid but didn't answer otherwise.
"You finally made it to Winter Cup," Daiki said turning his attention back to Tetsuya. "About time."
Tetsuya smiled and nodded.
"You bet we did!" Taiga cheered. "We'll beat you there!"
Daiki glanced at him and frowned slightly.
"Hm, you're light is still too dim," Daiki said.
"You…!" Taiga growled. "Play me now! I'll show you!"
Daiki arched a brow before he shrugged, "Fine."
...
"Mac," Kiyoshi said glancing at Mac who walked beside him out of the arena in search for their missing friends. "You need to be careful."
Mac looked at him, "why?"
"Hanamiya…" Kiyoshi scowled.
"What about him?" Mac asked.
"He threatened to go after you," Kiyoshi admitted.
Mac blinked and looked away from Kiyoshi for a moment. She thought back to when Kiyoshi had gotten angry and Hyuga having to drag him away at the court and suddenly knew why…
"That's why you got so angry at him, isn't it?" Mac finally asked.
"Yes…I almost hit him," Kiyoshi admitted. "But…"
"I'll be fine, Teppei," Mac said reassuringly. "I can take care of myself."
"But he shouldn't be underestimated," Kiyoshi said. "And he's really angry!"
"I know," Mac nodded and smiled as she reached out and patted Kiyoshi's arm. "Thank you for warning me. I'll be careful, okay?"
Kiyoshi nodded.
"Good," he said. "I don't want you to get hurt because he tries to take revenge on me or something."
Mac nodded and hid her frown as she thought about it. She also thought about mentioning her own plan but she didn't. She didn't want Kiyoshi to worry more and he would probably try to stop her especially if he thought it would add to the reason for Hanamiya to go after her.
They found Taiga playing one-on-one with Daiki with Tetsuya watching.
"Why are you playing one-on-one with Aomine, you idiot?!" Hyuga yelled as he charged at Taiga.
Mac snorted as she saw the bored look on Daiki's face but she saw the small spark of interest underneath the look.
"He was losing anyway," Daiki yawned.
"You…" Taiga growled while rubbing his arm.
"Well, it beats being scared," Kiyoshi said amused.
...
Two days later found Mac in the office of Kirisaki Daiichi's headmaster and she was staring at the older man who was frowning back at her.
"What is the meaning of this?" Takenaka Kouki asked.
Mac smiled pleasantly.
"It's to let you know that I have filed a formal complaint about your school after the preliminaries for the Winter Cup," Mac said.
"And who are you to do that?" Takenaka demanded.
"I'm Potter Mackenzie, Too Academy," Mac said even though she had introduced herself when she had been let into his office however how reluctantly. "I'm the manager and a player for Too basketball team."
"As far as I know we haven't played against Too Academy," Takenaka frowned.
"That doesn't mean that I haven't watched your team play," Mac said. "I thought it was prudent to inform you of my actions."
The headmaster looked at her with a frown before looking down at the papers she had given him. He shifted in his seat as he read through her file and then put it down and pulled out copies of the images she had included. They showed the hidden elbows, the deliberate actions of his basketball team.
"I also included a conversation with your old coach," Mac said. "I found him and asked why he quit. Seems like he couldn't control Hanamiya and told you about the way he played, the way he went out to hurt the opponents. But you ignored him, so he felt that he couldn't be a part of it so he quit."
"That's…there…!" Takenaka burst out but stopped.
"There was no proof, right?" Mac interrupted with a nod. "That's what your old coach said you told him. But, sir, there is the proof you missed last time. That's the kind of players your school has. I don't know about you, but that's not a good reputation to carry around. Especially the last match against Seirin has spread and people are talking about it. Your school isn't coming out very well, Takenaka-san."
Mac waited. She knew she was pushing it but she wanted to make her point. She had already sent the papers and pictured to the Japanese Basketball Federation (JBF).
"You have sent this?" Takenaka asked.
"Yes, sir," Mac nodded. "You will also find statements from other teams and how they got more injuries after playing your school, headmaster."
Takenaka looked at her long and hard and she wondered what he would do. She remained still as she met his eyes. He sighed and nodded.
"I will take this under consideration," he said.
Mac nodded and turned to leave knowing that this was a dismissal. When she reached the door he stopped her.
"You're a very headstrong young girl, Potter-san," he said. "You're not afraid to take risks."
Mac turned, "he hurt my friends, sir, and a lot of other basketball players. Basketball is supposed to be fun and a team sport. It's not supposed to be about crushing your opponents and injuring other teens. That is not fair play and I will not sit back and watch him continue to play like that. He has had his chance to change. He didn't listen."
With that she turned and left the office. Only when she was outside, did she let out a long shuddering breath. That had been scary… she hated talking with people she didn't know! At least she thought he hadn't noticed how nervous she had been.
...
A week later
...
KIRISAKI DAIICHI – BANNED FROM BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS AFTER COMPLAINTS AND DIRTY PLAY!
Latest news in the High School basketball world is that the High School Kirisaki Daiichi has been banned from all form of organized basketball for at least a year. The current team is disbanded and will not be allowed to play basketball again no matter the school they should attend in the future.
Was this a harsh decision? Too harsh? I don't think so. You might wonder why the Japanese Basketball Federation, otherwise known as the JBF, has come to this decision and I will try to cover this in this article. I will tell you now; I have never in all my years covering high school basketball heard about something like this happening before.
The complaint was filed after the Winter Cup preliminary match Seirin-Kirisaki Daiichi where the spectators were witnessing the harsh play of named school, Kirisaki Daiichi. The referees missed a lot of what happened and have later expressed regrets of not catching the clear fouls that happened during the match. Witnessing the match myself I will admit that it was slightly incredible that the referees never spotted what was going on… it was not a pretty match.
"Of course we wish to catch it all, but we are only humans and can't see everything," a referee told me impatiently when I spoke to him.
That is true, but after so many situations and clearly bruised players, you are wondering why the referees aren't catching on to what's happening on the court? It is their job to protect the players, isn't it?
Though, this isn't the question of this article, even though it is an interesting discussion for later.
Some might argue that it is a contact sport and people get hurt. Again, that is true but when someone goes to deliberately try to hurt the other players that are when they have crossed the line. Accidents happen, but not that often that it seemed to happen in the references match. In best it shows lack of judgment, at worst…well, it shows viciousness and cruelty that is not acceptable on any basketball court in our country.
The JBF has in their statement said that they have overwhelming evidence that showed their use of dirty tricks and violations against fair-play that is to be expected in a basketball tournament.
"In light of the evidence, the statements and the filed complaint we received after the Winter Cup Preliminaries this year we have come to the conclusion that Kirisaki Daiichi has not behaved in a way that is acceptable for any organized basketball club in any Japanese High School."
That is the words of a representative from JBF. Some have uttered that the players of Kirisaki Daiichi are kids. But come on, folks! They are teens, some are even 18 years old and using a basketball court in order to get their fill of violence isn't acceptable. It's about time someone showed them that there are consequences of every action and that this is not acceptable.
"I can't believe that they got away with it! The players on the other team were covered in bruises and no one stepped in to stop it!" one of the spectators told us after the Seirin-Kirisaki Daiichi match.
Other's said;
"How can they play like that? If that's basketball then I never want to play! I worry for my little brother who wishes to be like the Generation of Miracles and play basketball when he is ready for High School."
"I'm glad Seirin won. They deserved it! They played basketball that is worthy of a basketball team and not like the other team…"
Well, there you have it, folks! Kirisaki Daiichi has been banned from basketball and I hear that the school is also having trouble with their team and will now work on getting a new coach that can come in and clean up the mess that is their basketball club. You got to wonder…Where have the adults been in this situation? Just a question for you all to ponder about until next time!
...
...
AN: What do you think? XD
This became a longer chapter than I thought. More reactions will be in the next chapter. I am nervous about hearing your reactions to this one. Hope you liked the course of action I decided on for Mac when it came to Hanamiya. Not that he's necessarily out of the picture yet... I just never liked that he got away with that even after the match... I don't think he or the rest of his team deserves to play and that they stepped way out of line with the way they played and deliberately tried to injure the other teams they played against. Well, let me know what you think! :)
Thank you for reading and supporting this story! XD