Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Kuroko no Basket!
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1st year – Too Academy
...
"Kiyoshi is pretty upset with you," Taiga said when Mac entered the apartment.
Mac frowned as she looked over at Taiga who was frowning back at her and looked like he was thinking about something very hard and Mac sighed. She knew what this would be about and if not having to have this conversation with Daiki and her team was enough she should have known that she would be met with Taiga to have the same conversation all over again.
"I'm sure," Mac said.
"So, did you do it?" Taiga asked.
Mac opened her bag and allowed Nao to get out and picked him up smiling slightly as he licked her cheek and yapped lightly at her. She scratched his ear and wished that she would be allowed to go to her room and just sleep.
"Yes," Mac said not seeing the point in denying it. Everyone seemed to know anyway.
"Why?" Taiga asked.
"Why?" Mac looked at him incredulously. "Why not?!"
"Because…because he will know it was you!" Taiga said. "At least that's what Kiyoshi said! He said that Hanamiya would go after you because of this!"
"I can look after myself, Taiga," Mac said. "And it was the right thing to do! Hanamiya was not on that court to play basketball because he is passionate about the sport or even cares about it! He was on it to fight and to injure as many people as he could get away with!"
"Then let the adults do something about it!" Taiga snapped at her.
Mac looked at him for a moment.
"That's what I did," she finally said. "I gave them the information they needed and let them handle it!"
"That's…"
"What? They did NOTHING last year when they actually did injure Teppei, Taiga," Mac almost yelled at him. "Should I just let them do the same now? They wouldn't have stepped in if I hadn't done that."
Taiga took a small step back and Mac felt guilty for snapping at him when she knew he was just worried. But she was so tired and everyone seemed to be attacking her about this and she hated it. She just did what she thought was right.
"Do you have any idea about how many that was actually hurt by Hanamiya and his team?" Mac asked forcing herself to calm down a little as she looked at Taiga with serious eyes.
"No," Taiga said slowly.
"In total, there were 12 people that got a long term injury after their match against Kirisaki Daiichi," Mac said. "Half of them even gave up on basketball because they were either too injured to continue or got scared of the court. They actually feared basketball because of it."
Taiga paled a little at that.
"I didn't know that," he said quietly.
"Not that many did," Mac said. "Hanamiya and his team did it in ways that it all looked like accidents, but there's only a limited amount of times that it can be viewed as accidents before it starts to form a pattern, Taiga."
He frowned.
"I know that we have made others fear basketball," Mac admitted quietly thinking of Daiki and her old team, "but we never, never went out to hurt anyone. It happened because of the differences in strength became too large, not because we wanted to stop them from playing."
"Mac," Taiga said sadly.
"So, no, I wouldn't sit by and do nothing anymore," Mac said looking at him. "I couldn't. He had his chance to change but he didn't, and he tried to seriously hurt Teppei again and Tetsu and you. And I don't care if Teppei is upset about that. It was the right thing to do."
She looked away from Taiga before she squared her shoulders and looked back at him.
"Well, I'm tired," she said. "And I suspect I will have more calls to answer before I'm allowed to go to sleep."
...
Taiga watched her walk to her room and closed the door and sure enough, he heard the sound of her phone just as she did so and guessed that she had been right about the calls. He knew that Kiyoshi was upset and he understood it. He was rather upset himself. But at the same time… Mac had done a good thing. He hadn't known that so many had been hurt by Kirisaki Daiichi. Not that it was that surprising.
He sighed and walked back to the sofa and dropped down into it. He shouldn't have ambushed her like that. He grimaced. She had looked tired. But…he had to know.
He looked up when the doorbell rang and pulled himself up from the sofa again and walked to open the door. He wondered if it might be Daiki coming to check on Mac. He opened the door and blinked when he saw Alex standing there.
"Yo!" Alex smiled at him.
"Alex," Taiga said. "What are you doing here?"
"What a welcome;" Alex rolled her eyes and made her way into the apartment. "Is Mac around?"
"She's in her room," Taiga said. "Think she's on the phone, though."
"Ah," Alex said looking a little disappointed.
"Why?" Taiga asked curiously.
"I wanted to see her play you one-on-one," Alex said. "You've gotten stronger and I wanted to see how much."
"She's tired, Alex," Taiga said. "I won't ask her to play today, and besides; she doesn't really want anything to do with you and I won't ask her to."
Alex grimaced, "we talked, though."
Taiga arched a brow. "So? That doesn't mean that she's comfortable around you, Alex."
Taiga knew he was being harsh, but he wasn't going to ask Mac to interact with Alex and put her in the situation where she had to decide. Besides, it was clear that Mac had enough on her plate lately.
"Well, then;" Alex said. "Come on. We're going out to practice more."
"Eh, but…"
"Quiet," Alex said and looked at him more closely. "What are you wearing? Go on and change!"
Taiga groaned but did as she asked and walked to his room to change into training clothes. Again. It wasn't enough that Riko practically killed them at practice but now Alex was here to finish the job.
"Ah, you're going out?" Mac asked having stepped out of the room with her phone still at her ear.
"Yeah, Alex is here," Taiga said and noticed the small frown on Mac's face before her expression cleared and she nodded.
"I see," Mac said. "No, Seijuro, I was just talking to Taiga….yeah, one moment."
She put her phone down but Taiga knew she was still connected to her friend on the phone.
"Um, you okay?" Taiga asked.
"Sure," Mac said and glanced down the hall. "I was just finding something to drink. See you later, Taiga. Have fun."
Taiga nodded as he walked back to the hallway and found Alex waiting.
...
He saw her walking down the street and followed until she reached Shutoku High School. What was she doing here? He looked up at the school before looking to Mac who had paused at the gates before shrugging and entering.
Hanamiya frowned to himself before he decided to follow her into the school. It was not as easy as it looked on films to follow someone like this, but he had managed to do it so far. He just knew he wanted to observe her more before he acted.
The anger from the day before was still raging inside of him making him want to rip something apart, but he kept back. Watching. Waiting.
He pulled his hoodie further up his head and made sure that his face was hidden.
"Eh?! It's Mac!"
Hanamiya looked over and saw the hyper boy from Shutoku's basketball team coming practically bouncing toward Mac who had paused in her way toward a large building. He also saw the stoic green-haired one that was a part of the Generation of Miracles coming toward her as well carrying a doll. A doll…Hanamiya's lips twisted in a sneer… what boy carried a doll like that?
"Ah, Takao," Mac said smiling slightly. "You're as energetic as always."
Hanamiya was pleased to hear that he could listen in on their conversation and remain hidden behind a large pillar. That was very convenient.
Takao laughed. "What are you doing here, Mac? Here to see Shin-chan?"
"Hey, Midorima," Mac said and Hanamiya could hear the smile in her voice. "But I'm not here to see him today."
"What are you doing here?" Shintaro asked. "Not that I care or anything. Just curious."
"Sure," Mac chuckled. "I am here to see a friend. Or at least see if she's here…"
Hanamiya peeked around the pillar and saw the worried look on Mac's face and the curious one on her stoic-friend.
"Friend? Here?" Takao asked. "Who?"
"Ueno Setsuko," Mac said.
"Ah, she's here," Takao nodded. "I saw her earlier, I think."
Mac smiled relieved. "Good."
"Are you alright, Mac?" Shintaro asked.
Hanamiya arched a brow. He had never seen or heard anything remotely like emotions in his voice before, and from what he could tell Shintaro was not one to worry about anyone but that apparently didn't include Mac. He had sounded worried now and even a flicker of concern was visible in his eyes.
Huh. Interesting.
"I'm fine, Midorima," Mac assured him with a small smile. "I told you that on the phone last night."
"You talked last night?" Takao grinned eying Shintaro. "So much for not caring, eh, Shin-chan?"
Shintaro blushed and looked away as he muttered something Hanamiya couldn't hear.
"Don't tease," Mac said eying Takao but her lips twitched as if amused. "Well, I should go and see if I can track down Ueno."
"Alright," Takao grinned. "See you later, Mac!"
Mac nodded and waved but before she could walk away Shintaro had pulled something out of his bag and handed it to her. Hanamiya couldn't see what it was from where he was standing, but he saw the curious look on Mac's face turn into understanding before she smiled and reached out to hug the green-haired boy who went stiff before awkwardly patting her on the back.
...
Mac smiled to herself as she walked away from Shintaro and Takao. He was so precious and awkward. She looked down at the small butterfly key-ring that Shintaro had given her. It was beautiful and she loved it, and she knew without having to ask that it was her lucky item for the day.
His way of showing that he cared. That he worried. She knew she had surprised him when she hugged him, but she couldn't help it. She had to. She hadn't hugged him much during the years they had known each other. He wasn't one for touching and hugging, not like Ryota or Atsushi. And she respected that, but now she had just acted and hugged him because he cared and he showed it in his subtle way and looking so awkwardly cute.
She found the classroom Takao had said belonged to the class Ueno was in and looked inside smiling when she saw Ueno sitting by a desk looking out of the window and not really talking with anyone. She looked around and couldn't see a teacher so it didn't seem like they were in the middle of a class…
"Ueno!" Mac called trying her best to ignore the eyes on her from the others in the class as well.
"Mac!" Ueno blinked surprised. "What…"
"Thought I'd stop by to see you," Mac said.
Ueno had gotten up from her chair and walked toward her quickly. She grabbed Mac's arm and guided her out of the classroom.
"I can't believe that you're here," Ueno said looking at her curiously. "But we have class in ten minutes."
"Right," Mac said. "I had hoped you would have been done as well."
"Sorry," Ueno said smiling slightly.
"Are you okay?" Mac asked looking at her closely.
"I'm fine," Ueno nodded. "Don't worry about me, Mac."
"Of course I worry," Mac said shrugging slightly awkwardly. "You haven't returned my calls."
"Oh, right…" Ueno looked away. "I just…"
Mac looked at her and she understood. She was embarrassed.
"I probably shouldn't have just shown up like this," Mac said rubbing the back of her head. "I just… I just wanted to see that you were alright."
Ueno looked at Mac for a moment before she reached out and hugged her. Mac stilled in surprise for a second before she hugged the other girl back.
"Thank you, Mac," Ueno said. "I guess I just wasn't sure on how to act around you after…"
After confiding in her, Mac filled out the rest. She squeezed Ueno tighter for a moment before pulling back.
"No worries," Mac said smiling. "Just…if you want time or space or whatever, can't you just tell me? I can respect that, honestly, I can. I just…overthink a lot if I don't hear from you at all."
Ueno nodded.
"Alright," she said. "I can do that."
...
He saw her coming out of the school again and was grateful that she did come out the way she had entered. It had not been that long since she had entered the school, though, but she came out alone. He couldn't understand why she would go there if it was only to leave right away.
She was strange.
He followed behind her again and wondered where she would be going next. She didn't look like she was in a hurry as she walked down the streets. He noticed that she pulled out her phone again and looked at it before she smiled slightly and put it back in her pocket. She did change directions after that, though.
Thirty minutes later he saw her entering a park and followed carefully. He didn't want to be spotted. Not yet.
"Mac!" A loud voice sounded and Hanamiya felt his eyebrow twitch. Kiyoshi.
This time he was too far away to hear what they were saying but he sneered disgustingly when he saw Mac hug the other boy and the way she rolled her eyes at him. Ugh. She was so…
He scowled as he looked at the most annoying boy in the world. Only rivalled by the girl that he was currently scolding. Huh. Who knew that Kiyoshi could look that annoyed and almost angry? He had worked hard to get Kiyoshi to show those emotions, but nothing had worked…
Or, maybe it had…Kiyoshi had been angry when Hanamiya had gone after his team…and just threatening to go after Mac… That got him really angry.
...
"…and you have to think about yourself!" Kiyoshi was ranting. "Mac, you can't just…"
Mac sighed as the rant continued but she allowed him to talk and get the things he needed to say off his chest. It was not that she hadn't expected it. Also, she knew that he would calm down when he had said it. She just had to wait.
"Done?" Mac asked when he finally went quiet.
He frowned at her.
"I know what you feel, Teppei," Mac said. "And I can't say that I wouldn't do it again if I had to, because I would."
"Mac…" He said.
"He wanted to hurt you, Teppei," Mac interrupted him.
"I know, but…"
"But nothing," Mac said. "I couldn't just sit by and watch him do that again. Let him get away with it again. I couldn't."
Kiyoshi let out an explosive sigh and closed his eyes for a moment.
"I know, Mac," Kiyoshi said. "But I don't like it."
"I wouldn't expect you to," Mac said. "I just…I did warn him; I gave him a chance to change. He didn't, so I had to follow up. Also, he hurt more people than just you, you know. I knew that he wouldn't stop, and no one was doing anything and…and I could, so I did."
"You're not worried that he might come after you for revenge?" Kiyoshi asked concerned.
Mac shrugged, "he might, but I can handle myself."
"I know you have been taking Martial Arts, Mac, but still…" Kiyoshi said. "I don't like the idea of him going after you."
Mac nodded and she knew he had a point. If she was being totally honest she did worry about it a little. She would be a fool if she didn't, but she couldn't allow that to stop her. Protecting her friends was worth it.
"I am really happy and grateful that you feel like that," Mac said quietly. "Even after…"
"Hey," Kiyoshi interrupted and reached up to tilt her head up so he could look at her. "Just because we have broken up and you have another boyfriend, doesn't mean that I don't care about you anymore. I promised you once that I would always be here for you in one way or another, Mac. I meant it."
Mac smiled at him and nodded blinking away tears that threatened to overtake her.
"Okay! Let's play!" Kiyoshi said.
Mac laughed as she nodded and put her bag down and caught the ball that Kiyoshi tossed her. Just like that, it was back like normal with them. She really did like that about Kiyoshi. He never got angry for long.
...
"You want to come home with me to have dinner?" Kiyoshi asked.
Mac blinked and worried her lip. "Um…your grandparents are okay with that?"
Kiyoshi smiled and nodded, "of course they are."
Mac hesitated for a moment before she nodded. "Alright."
They walked to Kiyoshi's house and Mac frowned slightly as she thought she spotted something from the corner of her eye but when she turned to look there was nothing there.
"Mac?" Kiyoshi asked.
"Nothing," Mac said looking back at him and smiled.
"They will be happy to see you again, Mac," Kiyoshi said. "They have missed you."
"I've missed them as well," Mac said.
They entered the house and were greeted with Kiyoshi Miyako coming out from the kitchen and smiling when she spotted Mac.
"Hey, Mac! I'm so happy that Teppei brought you home with him again today," Kiyoshi Miyako said. "Haru! Come see who's here!"
Mac was pulled into a hug just as Haru came walking into the hallway and his face broke out into a smile when he spotted Mac.
"Mac! It's been ages since you've been here," Kiyoshi Haru said. "Come and talk to an old man while Teppei helps his grandmother with dinner. I want to hear what you've been up to since the last time I saw you. Teppei tells me that you still play basketball."
Mac followed the older man into the living room after looking at Kiyoshi who shook his head but smiled and waved her off.
"Yeah, I do still play basketball," Mac said. "We've been preparing for Winter Cup lately."
"That tournament thing Teppei talked about, right?" Kiyoshi Haru asked and Mac nodded. "So confusing with all of these tournaments, but I'm sure they are fun. Tell me about your team. I always loved your stories, Mac."
Mac felt like she had come home in a way. She had forgotten how well she had liked Kiyoshi's grandparents and how they had treated her like their own. She still felt worried and a little guilty, like she didn't deserve to be here after everything that had happened with her and Kiyoshi. It felt a little strange since she had a new boyfriend but they talked to her like they had before.
When dinner was called and Mac walked with Kiyoshi Haru into the kitchen and sat down beside Kiyoshi like she used to she couldn't help the smile from crossing her lips. They even asked her about Daiki and a look to Kiyoshi told her that they did know that she had a new boyfriend. She hesitantly looked at them but saw only interest and kindness so she answered even if she felt nervous.
"We're training with Riko's dad," Kiyoshi told her when they had finished dinner and were hanging out in the backyard. "He's strict."
"Really?" Mac asked curiously. "He's a coach, right?"
"He owns a training studio," Kiyoshi said. "He's a former basketball player and was even on the national team."
"Huh," Mac blinked. "Interesting. I bet you get to learn a lot from him, then."
Kiyoshi nodded, "yeah, but he's always threatening to kill anyone who looks at Riko wrong."
Mac laughed, "poor Riko."
Mac looked at Kiyoshi and saw the smile on his face and blinked. Could it be…?
"You like her?" Mac asked before biting down on her tongue. Shit. She shouldn't have asked that…
"Eh?" Kiyoshi blinked and looked at her. "Well, she's fun and my friend."
Mac relaxed when she realised that Kiyoshi wasn't angry at her.
"No, I meant; do you like her as more than your friend?" Mac asked.
"Hm," Kiyoshi frowned. "Maybe, but Hyuga likes her too. I won't get in the way between them."
Mac nodded and sighed. "Well, I know it might be awkward but if you want to talk…"
"Thanks, Mac," Kiyoshi smiled.
...
Hanamiya waited across the street from the house that Mac had followed Kiyoshi into. He wondered just how close they still where if she went home with him. He realised that going after Mac would be revenge on more than just her… he would be able to get back at Kiyoshi but also the Generation of Miracles and their arrogant attitude. He would be able to get to them in a way that no other could ever dream of…
He smirked.
...
Mac woke up refreshed and more awake in a long time feeling grateful that Sato had told her that she had the day off again from magic lessons and that she would be free to focus on her muggle work today.
That meant to look more closely at the Winer Cup preparations and getting ready for their first match there. She felt a thrill go through her. It was only a couple of weeks now until the tournament was starting and she couldn't wait.
Mac had breakfast with Taiga who looked tired but smiled at her.
"You have fun with Alex?" Mac asked remembering that the older woman had stopped by a couple of nights ago.
"Yes," Taiga nodded. "Though, we mostly practice."
"Getting ready for Winter Cup?" Mac looked at him and furrowed her brows slightly as she realised that he would have grown more since the last time they got to play. She wondered how much he had developed and what steps he had taken in his play.
"Of course!" Taiga grinned. "We're not going to lose!"
Mac huffed but smiled slightly. "We'll see."
Taiga met her eyes with a smirk and she could see the determination in his eyes.
"Alright," Mac said finishing her food. "I got to go. See you later, Taiga. Say hey to Tetsu from me, ok?"
"Sure," Taiga nodded.
Mac waved and called for Nao who came running from her room and jumped up in her arms and she smiled at him and hugged him close for a moment before she placed him into the bag again. She looked inside and again marvelled over the magic Newt had performed on her bag. The grassy fields were still fresh for Nao to run around on and have fun.
She shook her head clearing it from her thoughts as she remembered that she had to leave for school and morning practice.
...
"Potter-san," Harasawa called just as she entered the gym and she saw him standing by the door to his office.
"Yes, coach?" Mac looked at him.
"Come in here for a moment, please," he asked and she nodded and made her way over to him and followed him inside. She sat down in the chair she usually used and waited for him to sit down as well.
"So, we got the schedule for the Winter Cup has arrived," Harasawa said.
"Really?" Mac asked feeling a rush of excitement. The Winter Cup was really getting closer now and she was feeling excited and curious about who they would start the tournament against.
"Yes," Harasawa nodded and handed her a larger than normal piece of paper.
She looked at it and saw the overview of all the different teams listed on the first round and she couldn't help but wonder about all of these teams. She had, of course, heard about some of them, most of them really, but there was no way for her to know all of them well enough. Maybe there was someone with talent that could challenge Daiki or the others in one of those teams?
She found Too Academy on the very top and saw the schedule and read the name of the school linked to it; Koshi High.
"Koshi High?" Mac said looking up at Harasawa.
"They're from Fukui," Harasawa said.
"I haven't heard of them," Mac frowned. "I need to do some research."
Harasawa almost smiled but he nodded. "They're not a very large school. I think they were the surprise from the candidates from that prefecture."
"I see," Mac hummed. "Well, I won't be taking it lightly. Do you have any data on them?"
Harasawa nodded and pulled out a file and handed it to her.
"That's a copy of my own file," he said. "You keep that."
"Thank you," Mac said already longing to read through it but knew she had to hold back for a little longer.
...
Mac sat cross-legged on the stage reading the file that Harasawa had given her and was partially blind to the practice going on. For once she didn't pay attention to it but rather on the research for the first Winter Cup match. Since it was a school she had not heard about before she had to start fresh in her research and there wasn't that much time for her to do it.
Koshi High was a small school like Harasawa had said. It was also a rather new school and reminded her a little of Seirin. They had won all of their matches in the preliminaries in Fukui and also dominated the matches before that, but had only just missed out on going to Inter-High. They probably would have but it looked like they'd had some injuries on key players.
It was one thing Mac loved and that was getting lost in researching new teams. She wished she could manage a trip to watch them live, but she doubted that there would be time enough for her to do that.
"Kenzie," Daiki said and Mac looked up and blinked.
"Daiki?" she asked surprised. "I didn't think you'd be here today."
"I thought I would show up," Daiki shrugged. "You're lost in papers again."
Mac smiled and leaned in to kiss him lightly before looking back at the papers surrounding her.
"Yeah, the coach gave me the file on our first opponent at Winter Cup," Mac said.
"Oh?" Daiki hummed. "Anyone I know?"
"No," Mac shook her head. "It's a school named Koshi High."
"Hm," Daiki said. "I had hoped we would play someone exciting."
Mac rolled her eyes, "who knows? Maybe they are exciting?"
"Probably not," Daiki shrugged. "Or we would have heard about them before now."
Mac sighed but she had to admit that he had a good point, but nevertheless she was going to do her research and hope that they might surprise them. She knew they had to get to class soon but she could already tell that she would be back here at the end of the day to look at the data of Koshi again.
...
"I was wondering if you would ever be left alone, Mac," a cold voice said from behind her and Mac's head snapped up and saw Hanamiya standing in the gym.
"Hanamiya," Mac said feeling proud that her voice was calm and not betraying the sudden rush of nerves she felt.
"I see you're not that surprised to see me," Hanamiya said stepping into the gym.
"I can't say that I am," Mac said getting to her feet. "But I still thought you would know better than to seek me out like this."
He sneered at her.
"Oh? You think I would allow you to get away with it?" he narrowed his eyes at her. "You humiliated me in front of everyone."
"You could have changed," Mac said wishing that Daiki would come back soon. Why hadn't she gone with him to buy some food? Why had she decided to stay back at the gym to do more research on Koshi before going home? "You're the one who decided to play like that."
"What? Like the way you guys play is any better?" Hanamiya snapped. "You guys are the monsters, you know. You're worse than us, Mac. Don't try to deny it!"
"We never tried to hurt anyone!" Mac snapped at him forcing herself to not take a step back as he came closer and she saw the anger in his eyes. His cold eyes…
"Right," Hanamiya snorted. "Like you didn't ruin others dreams and made others give up on basketball. Do you know how many people gave up on their dream? Because of you?"
Mac fisted her hands.
"No answer to that, huh?" Hanamiya said. "You're a hypocrite, Mac. You and your so-called friends. They're all pretending to be so good and perfect, but they're not. You're not."
"We're not pretending to be anything," Mac denied. "I know what we are, and haven't denied it. But to purposely go out to hurt someone is not the way to play basketball."
Hanamiya stared at her for a long moment before he laughed. Cold and bitterly.
"Funny," he said the laughter gone from his voice now.
"Why are you doing this?" Mac asked trying to figure out how to get out of this.
"You know why," he said. "You got in the way. You have to face the consequences of your action."
Hearing Hanamiya talking about facing the consequences of her action was almost comedic but right now Mac couldn't really think about that.
He stepped closer and now Mac took a step back eying him warily.
"Scared, huh?" he smirked at her.
"Get out, Hanamiya," Mac said. "Before you do something that you would regret."
He eyed her for a moment before he smirked at her again.
"I don't think I would regret this," he said. "You're the perfect target for revenge on not only you but your precious little Miracle friends and Kiyoshi. They all piss me off."
Mac had no time to answer as he lunged for her without warning and she dodged him by using her martial arts lessons and rolled on the floor as he came at her again. She struck out and felt her arm hit him and managed to get him to the floor but he got up again and glared at her.
"Nice," he said. "But don't think that's enough, Mac."
Mac felt her heart beat faster and she tried to think but there was no time. She couldn't pause to think the situation through like in class so she allowed herself to just act.
She tripped him when he came rushing at her managing to move out of the way at the same time making him fall to the ground. She knew she had to get out of here because he was stronger than her… He grabbed her from behind and she struggled to try to get out of his arms and somehow managed to push her elbow back and she heard him groan and his grip on her slackened and she used it to get free.
Turning she saw blood running from his nose. It looked like it was broken. He was glaring at her and his face was twisted in an ugly sneer.
"What's this?" he said but it was a little muffled because of the blood. He spat blood out of his mouth. "The little princess miracle can fight? Who knew…"
"Just leave," Mac said. "I don't want to fight you, Hanamiya."
"No," he said. "I don't think so."
He rushed at her and she saw the fist coming flying at her and dodged it by stepping to the side but she realised that it was what he had wanted and soon his body crashed into hers and she was knocked off her feet and got the uncomfortable feeling of suddenly being in the air before she crashed to the floor.
The back of her head slammed against the floor making her vision blurry for a second and he used the time to get in a punch at the side of her face before her chin stung painfully and something metallic filled her mouth.
The pain helped her clear her mind again and she managed to flip him over and off her and scrambled to get up and away from him. She had to get away…
A hand grabbed her ankle and she groaned as she was yanked back down and twisted around so she was on her back and Hanamiya was leering down at her.
What now? Mac struggled but he was too strong. Her mind was blank while her heart pounded rapidly inside her chest like it was trying to get out. Her mouth felt dry despite the blood pooling inside her mouth. This was bad… She was in serious danger here… the faces of her friends, and their worries sounded and she remembered how she had dismissed them and reassured them.
Who was she kidding?
She was still the weak little girl…
He laughed.
She wasn't able to do anything. Her cousin Dudley was right… she really was a wimp. She could hear him laughing, taunting her.
You're weak, Potter. Who believed that you could actually take care of yourself, eh?
You still need Daiki to look after you.
Weakweakweakweak….
She tried to push at him again but the strength was leaving her arms…
What are you doing, Kenzie?! Don't give up!
You're not weak, Mac!
You're strong!
Fight, Mac!
Her friends' voices seemed penetrated her doubt and she narrowed her eyes as she felt his hand grab at her shirt and start to pull at it.
"No!" Mac said fighting harder and felt her magic burning and waking to life inside of her as her fear and desperation take over. His cold eyes looking at her was all she could see as she pushed her hands up and…he was gone.
A loud crash and a moan before everything went quiet.
...
Mac didn't dare move for a long moment. Her heartbeat was still loud in her ears. Thump. Thump. Thump.
She pushed herself up and winced slightly as she felt her head throb and reached up and gingerly touched her head. She could not feel blood at least. Though, her mouth filled with blood as she realised that she had bitten the inside of her cheek when he hit her. But otherwise, she didn't think she was hurt.
Where was he?
Her head snapped up and she looked around fearfully and finally spotted him on the floor by the wall half-way across the gym. How had she managed to get him all the way over there?
And he wasn't moving…
She wiped her mouth and pushed herself to her feet and swayed slightly as she tried to stand. She felt dizzy and for a moment it was like the room was spinning. But she had to check on Hanamiya… He still wasn't moving. What if…what if…
She took a step and felt the world tilt but before she could crash to the floor she was caught in strong familiar and warm arms.
"Kenzie!" Daiki said worriedly. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Mac blinked up at him confused. "What…"
"You're pale and you're bleeding," Daiki said frowning as he raised one hand to her mouth and wiped the blood that had trailed out of the corner of her mouth away before he pulled her into a hug and she repressed a wince at the sudden movement. She could feel the tension in him as he held her close and he was shaking slightly. She leaned against him and allowed his warmth to comfort her and calm her down somewhat but she still remembered what she had been doing and what she had to do.
"Hanamiya…" Mac said and he stiffened.
"Where is he?" Daiki demanded harshly.
"There…" Mac said pointing and a frantic look entered her eyes. "He's not moving, Daiki."
Daiki looked over to where she was pointing and saw the still form of Hanamiya lying on the floor and like she had said he wasn't moving.
"That jerk! I will…"
"Daiki!" Mac said. "We need to check him…"
Daiki looked at her and frowned but she met his eyes determinedly.
"Fine," he said.
He helped her move toward Hanamiya and she was relieved when she saw his chest move and at the same time apprehensive and wary to get closer to him. Daiki seemed too noticed and helped her sit down before making his way over to him. He moved closer and reached out to check his pulse and scowled.
"He's just knocked out, I think," Daiki said and looked at Mac. "What did you do to him?"
Mac bit down on her lip and fisted her hands even as she felt a faint throbbing pain from her right hand. Daiki was by her side right away and pulled her into his arms and she pressed her face against his shoulder.
"I…I…" Mac was frustrated when she felt tears enter her eyes and refused to be willed away.
"Shh, Kenzie," Daiki said. "It's over now. You're safe."
Mac blinked and reminded herself that she couldn't fall apart yet. Not yet. She had to make sure that her magic was covered.
"I used…I used magic," she said quietly and Daiki's eyes widened.
"Oh," he said.
"To get him off me," Mac said and he stiffened and looked at her in alarm but he didn't push her away like she had been worried about. "He didn't do anything. I got him off before…"
"I'll kill him," Daiki muttered darkly and made a movement but Mac clutched his shirt and kept him from moving. "Kenzie, you can't expect me to…"
"Daiki," she said looking at him. "Please… You'll get into trouble. We need to act now."
"What do you mean?" Daiki frowned.
"I used my magic…" she started just as the door was pushed opened again and this time it was Seijuro that came rushing into the gym. He took one look around and she could tell he understood the situation as he looked at her in Daiki's arms.
"Are you okay?" Seijuro demanded as he came rushing over to her and cupped her face between his hands but didn't remove her from Daiki's arms. "The idiot hurt you."
"I'm fine, Seijuro," Mac said trying to calm him down. "He's still knocked out."
Seijuro arched a brow and looked over at Hanamiya who was still not moving. Mac was starting to get a little worried. She supposed they should be calling an ambulance.
"Alright," Seijuro said. "I'll call an ambulance."
"But…" Mac said. "I have to…"
"What?" Seijuro asked.
"I used magic," she said and Seijuro's eyes widened and looked at Hanamiya.
"He saw?"
"I don't…I don't know," Mac said. "I didn't mean to use it, I just… did. He was on top of me and I just wanted him off and pushed at him and suddenly he flew off me and landed there. I was half-across the room when it happened."
Seijuro frowned, "Daiki wasn't here yet?"
Mac looked between them and shook her head.
"But we could say that he arrived in time to pull him off you and that he threw him hard enough making him hit the wall and be knocked out," Seijuro said.
Mac frowned but nodded slowly, "I guess."
"Let's do that," Daiki said. "We'll handle the aftermath later, Kenzie."
She nodded and winced as she had a headache. Seijuro narrowed his eyes as he took in the action and his eyes burned in anger as he looked at Hanamiya. Mac was sure she wasn't imagining the burning rage dancing in his eyes and knew he was imagining everything he wanted to do to the other boy.
Seijuro made a call and suddenly two men came into the gym and Mac blinked.
"Get the police here and the ambulance," Seijuro ordered. "Say that there are two patients."
"Yes, Akashi-san," one of the men said.
"Also, secure him," Seijuro ordered the other man and pointed at Hanamiya. "I don't want him running away if he wakes up."
"Yes, Akashi-san," the other man said.
...
"Mac!"
"Mac-cchi!"
"Mac!"
Mac looked up blearily when the sound of her name sounded and she saw her friends coming rushing toward her all looking worried and scared. She was still sitting beside or partially on Daiki's lap with her head resting on his shoulder.
"Guys," she mumbled.
Ryota, Shintaro and Tetsuya were there and surrounded her with worried looks on their faces. She looked around at them and felt her heart contract painfully and tears flooded her eyes.
"Where is he?"
"Are you okay?"
"What happened?"
The worried questions flew at her and she shook her head and bit her lower lip.
"Quiet," Seijuro ordered and they fell silent right away but still looked at Mac with concern.
"The police are on their way," Seijuro continued. "And so is an ambulance."
"Ambulance?"
"Mac-cchi is hurt!" Ryota wailed.
"Shut up, Kise," Daiki snapped. "Don't yell."
"I'm fine," Mac said quietly. "I just…I…"
She couldn't stop shaking and she wished they weren't there. Well, that wasn't true. She was glad they were there but at the same time she didn't want them to see her like this. Again. She looked down and leaned against Daiki again when he guided her back to his side and his arm around her tightened slightly.
She could hear Seijuro telling them what had happened and she closed her eyes. She was going to pretend that this hadn't happened. Maybe if she just remained quiet and her eyes closed it would really just be a dream and everything would be fine.
...
She knew it wouldn't work that way.
Soon the police and the ambulance was there and then her uncle Tarou and Daiki's parents came rushing in just behind Harasawa who had been called by the police since it had happened at the school gym.
She had told them what happened up until the magic part and then edited it to tell them the version that Seijuro had come up with. She hoped that it would be enough, but right now it was the best she could do. She would need to tell someone later and hopefully they could do some damage control if it was needed.
"Alright," the police officer said and nodded. "You're a very brave girl. Thank you for telling me what happened, Potter-san."
Mac didn't feel brave, but she nodded and tried to smile but it felt flat.
He nodded to the others and walked back to the others and to Hanamiya who had finally woken up and looked confused but glared when he saw Mac. Mac clutched Daiki's hand but didn't react otherwise.
"The EMTs said you are well enough to go home," Tarou said and looked at Mac. "You don't have a concussion and they could not find any other injuries that needed to be treated."
Mac nodded knowing that she had better medicine in the form of potions back at the apartment and would be fine when she could take them.
"I'm glad you are okay," Tarou said emotionally and Mac was a little startled to see the tears in his eyes. She pulled away from Daiki and reached out to her uncle and he took a step forward and pulled her into a hug when he realised what she wanted and she felt safe as he held her close. "You're safe, sweetie."
"Thank you, uncle Tarou," Mac mumbled. "I'm sorry for worrying you."
He pulled back and smiled at her. "You're not to blame for this, Mac."
She nodded but she didn't believe him. Not really.
...
"I'm sorry, Mac," Seijuro said when Tarou had walked over to talk to Ayano and Takehiro and a police officer. She didn't want to think about what they could be talking about.
"Eh? Why?" Mac looked at Seijuro who was scowling as he was staring at the floor. Why did he apologize? The others also looked like they were feeling guilty for something and she blinked at them.
"I had someone watch Hanamiya, but he slipped away from them;" Seijuro said with a scowl. "He has been slippery and today he seemed to know that someone was there watching him. He managed to get away again and I had a bad feeling about it and thought he might have gone to find you. I rushed over to your place but that cousin of yours said you hadn't come home yet. I tried calling you but you didn't pick up so I called Daiki."
"I told him that we were here and that I had gone out to buy some food," Daiki said. "When he said… I ran back here as fast as I could."
"He also called us," Ryota said. "I was here because of a photoshoot so I ran out of that and came as fast as I could, Mac-cchi!"
Shintaro and Tetsuya nodded but didn't say anything.
"We came as fast as we could, but it was too late," Seijuro said with his hands fisted at his side.
"It's not your fault," Mac said looking around. "You came and you're here, and that's enough. I…You helped me more than you know. Thank you."
They all shook their heads and she sighed tiredly. Great. Now she was causing them to feel guilty over this as well…
...
"Why does she always have to go through so much?" Tarou asked looking over at Mac who was practically leaning against Daiki while talking with her friends. She looked tired and he knew he would have to get her home soon and he would.
"She does seem to get into rough situations a lot," Takehiro agreed with a sigh. "I do not know where she gets her strength. Thank God she takes Martial Arts… I don't want to think about what would have happened if she hadn't…"
Tarou nodded and frowned. He didn't like that he had so little control over, well, everything. He wanted to protect her but it felt like there was nothing to do. How could he keep her safe?
"Tarou," Ayano said softly and a worried look on her face. "I would suggest that you get her an appointment with Koizumi tomorrow."
"So soon?" Tarou asked.
"Yes, she needs to talk about this," Ayano said. "And she needs the push to get to Koizumi. She won't ask."
Tarou nodded, "alright. I'll…I'll contact her later tonight."
Ayano nodded, "we need to show that we're here for her as well. Luckily he didn't get to do anything but it must still have been traumatic for her."
Tarou nodded again and swallowed down the anger he felt at the boy who had hurt his niece. He wished he could… No. He couldn't think like that.
"And that boy?" Takehiro asked angrily.
"Akashi has his lawyers on it," Tarou said glancing at Seijuro who was standing close to Mac and was watching her with sharp eyes. "He said they would not let him get away with it."
Takehiro looked over at the group as well before he nodded, "well, I've heard Daiki talk about him. He really does care about Mac and from what I know of the family he is very well connected."
"Mac has great friends," Ayano said softly. "They'll help her through this."
"We all will," Tarou said and it was a promise.
...
...
AN: What do you think? XD
Okay, a lot happened in this chapter. The Winter Cup is coming up and you might have noticed that Too Academy won't be playing Seirin at their first match. The team they will be playing isn't one that is mentioned in the anime or manga. I figured there must be teams there that are not mentioned because with the one mentioned the schedule they have won't fit. So, I've made up some teams. Just so you know. ;)
I am not that comfortable with writing fighting scenes so I hope that it was okay. I used a lot of time trying to get it right. At least Hanamiya is (mostly) dealt with now.
I have also posted the one-shot I talked about last time! It's called the Magic of Treacle Tart! It's a Harry Potter/Murasakibara Atsushi pairing fic. XD
As always; thank you for reading and supporting the story! I appreciate it all very much! XD