Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Kuroko no Basket!
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1st year – Too Academy
...
Mac sat stiffly on the couch and stared at the hands in her lap. She watched as the knuckles turned white as she tightened her fist. She was very aware of the bruise on her cheek and forced herself not to touch it or fidget because of it. She wanted to leave but her uncle had told her to go and see Koizumi and there wasn't anything she could say or do to change his mind.
So now she was there but she wasn't going to say anything. He couldn't make her talk. She refused. She was fine. Everything that had happened had resolved itself and she didn't want to talk about it with someone she didn't really know.
"You're not going to talk, Mac?" Koizumi broke the silence for the first time.
Mac didn't respond.
"Well," Koizumi said more chipper than Mac thought the situation called for and how was it that she sounded so relaxed? "I guess I can't make you talk if you don't want to, but it's a waste to just sit there, isn't it?"
Mac thought about the money her uncle paid for her sessions and almost flinched because it would be a waste…no. She was not the one asking to be here. It wasn't her choice so why should she care?
"I know you hate to hear that it will help to talk about what happened," Koizumi continued. "But it really does help, Mac. Talking will be the best way to sort through your emotions and process it."
Mac frowned at her before she looked away again. She could talk about it. With her friends.
Silence again and Mac refused to fidget.
"I hear he will be charged with assault," Koizumi said again.
Mac tensed more and remembered Seijuro calling earlier in the morning to tell her that Hanamiya would be charged with assault and that his lawyers were certain that he would be found guilty and that he would also have a restraining order and wouldn't be able to seek her out again.
"Okay," Koizumi said and Mac heard her move and suddenly a notebook with blank pages was in front of her and a pencil was pushed into her hand. "If you're not going to talk then why don't you entertain yourself while I do some of my work? I swear that I get more paperwork every time I turn around."
Mac blinked and looked up to see Koizumi walking back to her desk and sitting down. Was she really giving up on getting her to talk? What was her deal?
Mac looked at the pencil in her hand and the blank paper. She hadn't been drawing in a while now and she kind of missed it. She closed her eyes. There wasn't a big deal if she drew now, was it? She could…
She put the pencil to the paper and opened her eyes. She started to move her hand and allowed her mind to go blank and her thoughts numbed.
...
Sato frowned as he walked into the police station where they held the boy who had attacked Mac. He felt a rush of anger at the thought. He had come to care about the girl who had been his student for the last few years and he cringed at the thought of what could have happened if she hadn't accidentally used magic.
Sato and Mizumura Akeshi from the Ministry had been over at Mac's house earlier that morning to talk to her and hear her explain what happened. Sato had found it more difficult to remain calm and not allow his anger to show than he would have imagined. He could easily picture his own daughter in a situation like this and just the idea of anyone hurting Sachi like this had his blood boiling. That it was Mac didn't help either because the girl was important to him as well. Mizumura had concluded that it was accidental and under duress so there would be no punishment for the use of magic against a muggle. So, now the only thing left was to deal with the boy.
He had asked to be allowed to follow along when the reversal squad went to see Hanamiya and see what he had learned and if he had realised that Mac had used magic. Sato also had a wish to use magic in order to get him to stay away from her as well. He didn't like the idea of having him after her again for revenge or whatever it was he thought he was doing.
Sato remained quiet as Mizumura handled the muggle police with practice ease and was allowed in to see Hanamiya in a private room. Sato looked at the boy who had pale skin and dark hair that seemed a little ruffled and unkempt at the moment but he glared at them when he saw them. Sato could also see the bandage on his nose signalling that Mac had managed to hurt him in some way at least.
Good for her, Sato thought.
"Who are you?" The boy sneered.
"That doesn't matter," Mizumura said. "We're here to see what you know."
Hanamiya narrowed his eyes getting a calculating look as he watched them.
"You're here because of Mac," he said. "What she did to get me off her."
Sato frowned and clenched his hands. The idea of him on top of Mac… He wanted to hit him. It surprised Sato because he was normally a peaceful man.
"What do you mean?" Mizumura asked.
"Well, they say that Aomine pulled me off her, but I know he wasn't there," Hanamiya sneered. "She did that herself in some way."
Sato exchanged a look with Mizumura and the man nodded before stepping forward and made eye contact. They normally didn't use legilimency on muggles but when they needed to sort out what they really knew and what kind of charm that would be necessary they had to do it. A light version of it with only searching surface thoughts was not harmful.
Sato watched as Mizumura mumbled the spell and made eye contact with Hanamiya for a good thirty seconds before stepping back. He frowned as he looked at the boy. Mizumura looked over at Sato and nodded.
They stepped to the side and Sato waited for the other man to talk.
"He doesn't know that she used magic," Mizumura said. "But he knows that it didn't happen as they tell him it did. He is positive that Mac was alone in the gym and that her boyfriend was nowhere close. He is… curious and with his intelligence and cunning I will say that it is likely that he will figure it out. I can tell that he will not be letting it go."
"So, what will you do?" Sato asked.
"I will alter his memories so that he will believe that Aomine came and pulled him off before he hit his head," Mizumura said. "A light memory charm will be enough."
Sato nodded, "could it be possible for you to add a compulsion to stay away from Potter-san?"
Mizumura looked at Sato for a moment and Sato knew that he asked for something that was slightly out of his work description but he had to ask. Sato really wanted him to erase ever knowing Mac in the first place but that wasn't possible because of how long they had known each other and other people knew that they had interacted. It wouldn't do if Hanamiya suddenly forgot her and his friends talked about her and acted as he should know her. It would cause too many problems and questions.
Mizumura looked toward Hanamiya again before he frowned and looked back at Sato.
"I know it is irregular, but she doesn't need to have him coming for her again," Sato said. "I don't like how obsessed he seems."
"True," Mizumura nodded pensively. "I can't see a reason for not adding a mild compulsion on him to make him stay away from her. I didn't like the thoughts I saw about her, so I will do it."
Sato refrained from asking what he was thinking. He probably would be better off not knowing. He stood back as he watched Mizumura do his work and knew that Mac would be safe from this person now.
...
Mac blinked when a noise started her out of her zone and looked down at the paper and grimaced as she realised that she had drawn herself lying on the floor and darkness around her and a hand holding her down unable to move.
She stared at the drawing. She didn't want to remember the helplessness she had felt. How weak…
"Interesting drawing," Koizumi commented and Mac's head snapped up having forgotten that the other woman was there still and had now come back from her desk. She turned it around and hid it from Koizumi. "Ready to talk yet?"
Mac looked away.
"I'm not the enemy, Mac," Koizumi said gently.
"Doesn't mean that I want to tell you about it," Mac said.
Koizumi nodded thoughtfully.
"Well, you can pretend that I am someone you like," Koizumi said sitting down and leaned back.
Mac frowned at her, "then I could just go and talk to them."
Koizumi nodded again, "I guess, but would you do that, Mac?"
Mac paused. Would she go and find one of her friends to talk to them?
"I'm fine," Mac said.
"You're fine," Koizumi repeated. "You say that a lot."
"It's true," Mac narrowed her eyes. "I don't need to be here! I don't know why uncle Tarou told me to go!"
"You can't see why he would want you to come?" Koizumi asked.
"He's worried," Mac said slowly, "but he doesn't need to be."
"You were attacked," Koizumi said bluntly.
Mac flinched. "I know that."
"Then why do you keep pretending that nothing happened?" Koizumi asked.
"I don't do that!" Mac glared.
"Of course not," Koizumi smiled.
Mac blinked at her and really felt thrown by the sudden smile and light tone. Why didn't she react with anger? Or annoyance?
Mac felt exhausted and her bruises hurt and head throbbed slightly as she leaned back on the couch.
"Mac," Koizumi said making Mac look at her. "You don't have to be strong all the time."
Mac blinked at her.
"Yes, I do," Mac whispered.
"Why?" Koizumi asked.
...
Daiki gritted his teeth as he was told he couldn't go and see Mac yet because she had gone to see her therapist. He just wanted to see her and make sure that she was fine. He had barely slept at all last night waking up with nightmares of things ending differently and him letting her down.
"Are you alright, Daiki?" Takehiro asked sitting down beside his eldest son on the couch in the living room.
"Fine," he muttered.
Takehiro looked at him, "you know you sound like Mac."
Daiki's lips twitched.
"It's alright if you're not fine, Daiki," Takehiro said. "It was traumatic what happened."
Daiki fisted his hands pushing the anger down.
"I just want to protect her, dad," Daiki admitted.
"I know," Takehiro nodded. "And you are protecting her."
"Not good enough," Daiki muttered. "She got attacked and I wasn't there!"
"He waited until you left, Daiki," Takehiro said gently. "It wasn't your fault."
"I should have been there," Daiki said stubbornly.
"I know you don't want to hear this, but you can't be there all the time," Takehiro said gently. "It's not possible."
"It should be," Daiki said.
"Mac is strong," Takehiro said. "She will be fine."
"She always is," Daiki said, "but I just hate to see her struggle all the time. Why does she have to go through so much?"
"That is a good question," Takehiro nodded. "And I don't have a good answer."
"I just want her to be happy, dad," Daiki admitted quietly. A soft blush covering his face.
Takehiro smiled slightly as he watched his son. He knew how his son felt about Mac. It worried him a little but at the same time, he and his wife had seen it grow ever since they were kids. Despite their young age, he knew what they had was real. He just worried that they would take things too fast.
"I know you do," Takehiro said.
"Do you think she will be fine?" Daiki asked.
"I think that with all of our help she will be fine," Takehiro said. "She has a lot of great friends and family and we all love her."
Daiki nodded.
...
"Because I do," Mac said like it was obvious.
"But why?" Koizumi pressed. "Even if you talk to someone doesn't mean that you're weak."
Mac looked away.
"I am weak," Mac mumbled.
"Why do you think that?" Koizumi asked.
"Just a fact," Mac said.
"If this was one of your friends, Mac, would you think that they were weak?" Koizumi asked after a pause.
Mac frowned, "they wouldn't be in this situation."
"How can you know that?" Koizumi challenged. "You think that you're the only one to go through something like this?"
The words were blunt and harsh but her tone was kind and took the worst out of it but still…Mac flinched slightly.
"No…," she said. "But…"
"Then, if this had happened to one of your friends," Koizumi continued. "Would you think that they were weak?"
"No," Mac said. "Of course not."
"Then why do you think that you are weak?" Koizumi asked.
Mac frowned at her unable to answer. Her uncle voice in her head told her that she was weak and it had only gotten louder and she couldn't push it back like she normally did. She thought about what Koizumi said and it did make sense… But still…
"Okay," Koizumi said. "We can come back to that later. Do you blame yourself for this?"
Mac flinched at the direct and blunt question. What was with the bluntness? Well, Mac did prefer to be blunt.
...
Mac dropped down at her bed feeling empty and tired. So, so, sooo tired. It felt like she had been running for hours or played a very rough basketball match, so tired was she. Yet, all she had done was sitting in an office all day talking or not talking.
Her emotions were all over the place and she knew she had to get them under control of she would never be ready for school and basketball practise again the next day. Her eyes dropped and she allowed herself to just lie there and rest her eyes.
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.
You got in the way. You have to face the consequences of your action.
The little princess miracle can fight? Who knew…
Mac's eyes snapped open and she sat up breathing a little harder as Hanamiya's voice rang in her ears. That was why she didn't want to talk about it! She didn't want to remember it…
Why do you think that you are weak?
Koizumi's question came back and Mac frowned. She wasn't sure how to think any more. She felt weak. But why?
Because she should have been able to handle it on her own?
Because she didn't want to be depending on Daiki or the others all the time?
Because…her uncle said so?
The doorbell rang and she flinched before scowling to herself. There was no reason for her to flinch just because the doorbell rang. It didn't mean anything. It was probably Daiki or one of the others. Or maybe it was someone for Taiga or her uncle. She remained on the bed and even though she felt tense she refused to allow herself to move to see who it was.
"Kenzie!" Daiki's voice was heard before the door to her room opened and he stood there looking at her.
She relaxed before she was even aware of it. He moved quickly over to the bed and pulled her into his arms and she melted against him feeling safe again and warm. It was strange how safe she felt by just having him there and having his arms around her.
"I missed you," Mac whispered into his chest.
"I missed you too," Daiki said holding her tighter. "Are you okay?"
"I'm tired," Mac admitted. "And…my thoughts are a mess."
Daiki pulled away slightly and looked at her and she saw the concern in his eyes before he nodded and guided her to the bed and she watched as he half-sat-half-lied down on the bed with his upper body resting against the headboard of the bed. She blinked as she stared at him.
"Come on," he said and pulled at her hand and she allowed him to pull her to him and ended up lying on the bed with her head resting on his chest. She shyly and suddenly self-conscious placed one arm around his waist.
"Rest," he said. "Just rest. You're safe."
Mac smiled slightly and shuffled slightly to get more comfortable and felt his arm around her tighten as he held her closer. It felt nice.
Her session with Koizumi went through her mind again but this time she was calmer. She hadn't even realised that she had started to talk. Mac was a little miffed about that. She hadn't intended to talk at all, but Koizumi had waited her out in a way that had taken her off guard.
It was probably the drawing's fault. Mac always relaxed more with a pencil in her hand.
...
"Oi," Taiga said as he pushed the door to Mac's room open and stilled when he was Mac and Daiki on the bed. He blushed slightly despite the rather innocent position they were in. Mac had her eyes closed and was resting her head on Daiki's chest. He had his arms around her while her arm was around his waist and another was hidden from Taiga's view. He could see the bruise on her cheek and on one of her arms from where that boy had grabbed her. Taiga scowled.
"What?" Daiki asked impatiently having opened his eyes and was now staring at Taiga who blinked realising that he had stopped and stared at them.
"Your friends are here," Taiga huffed. "They're in the living room waiting for Mac."
Daiki nodded and looked down at Mac and gently shook her making her mumble something and turn her head against Daiki's chest. Taiga knew he should leave but he remained standing there watching (he wasn't creepy at all, alright?). He saw the soft smile on Daiki's face as she seemed to burrow closer to him.
"Kenzie…" Daiki said.
"Mm…" she mumbled.
"The others are here," Daiki said.
"Mm…"
"Come on," Daiki said. "Wake up, sleepyhead."
Taiga wasn't sure what to think because this was a side of Daiki he had never seen before. Or he had seen that he was softer with Mac somehow but the raw caring in his voice threw Taiga a little. He wasn't sure what to think about his cousin and Daiki. He had never really seen anyone look that close before and no one else he knew had that connection to their girlfriends or boyfriends. He was almost a little jealous.
"Okay," Mac said sounding a little more awake and pushed away from Daiki and a hand went to her hair trying to sort it out making Daiki laugh.
"Your hair is still messy," he said.
"I know," Mac pouted before she spotted Taiga. "Ah, Taiga."
"You okay?" Taiga asked hiding a grimace because the question seemed inadequate somehow. He was angry about what had happened and he wanted to rave and rage about it but his dad had told him to keep calm and just be there and support her. That was all he could do now.
"Fine," Mac smiled at him. "Thank you, Taiga."
He nodded and frowned at Daiki before turning around and walking to his room. Even though Tetsuya was there he didn't feel like spending the rest of the evening with all of the former Teiko regulars.
...
"Mac-cchi!" Ryota exclaimed when he saw her and came rushing over and pulled her into a hug. He held her a little tighter than normal and Mac felt the small shake of his body so she knew he had been worried so she hugged him back and allowed him to hug her longer than normal in an effort to comfort him.
"I'm fine, Kise," she finally said and pulled away.
"I was so worried!" Ryota told her.
Mac smiled slightly and nodded. She knew he had been. She greeted the others and Atsushi had a similar reaction seeing that he had not been there the day before but had come now after Seijuro had called him to let him know what had happened.
"Mac-chin," he cried hugging her closer and refused to let her go. "Mac-chin will be safe."
Mac patted him on the back trying to comfort him.
"I'm fine, Murasakibara," Mac said. "I'm fine now. Just calm down, okay? I'm fine and I have you and the others, so I'm fine."
"Mac-chin is my friend," Atsushi said.
"Yes, I am," Mac said.
"Oi," Daiki finally said reaching out and pulled Mac from Atsushi. "Stop hogging my girlfriend."
"Daiki," Mac frowned at him but her lips twitched amused at the slightly jealous look on his face but at the same time she saw the understanding and knew he wasn't really upset.
"Mac-chin is ours so Mine-chin has to share," Atsushi pouted but he didn't try to pull her back.
"Thank you for coming, Murasakibara," Mac told him. "And the rest of you as well, of course. I...I'm really happy that you're here."
They smiled at her and she sat down on the sofa curled up beside Daiki as the others asked Seijuro about what his lawyers had been doing and what would happen now. He told them and reassured them that the lawyers were confident and that Hanamiya would be paying for what he had done or attempted to do.
Mac clutched Daiki's hand slightly as they talked but didn't interrupt or stop them. Daiki pulled her closer as he noticed her anxiousness but didn't say anything either. Both knew that they needed to talk about it and Mac felt safe with them.
Finally, Ryota suggested putting on a movie and order a pizza (or three) for dinner and Seijuro already called while the others went through Taiga's movie collection in order to find something to watch.
Mac pretended that she didn't notice the way they all kept glancing at her like they were checking that she was still there or something.
Shintaro pushed his glasses up and snapped at Ryota who was making a dramatic scene about the movies to watch and Mac smiled and shook her head. The two of them never changed. She liked that. Tetsuya was watching patiently like normal while Seijuro was just coming back from ordering food.
...
Sirius was feeling impatient as he followed Remus into the elevator that would bring them up to Mac's apartment. He wanted to see her and check that she was alright. Her uncle Tarou had called Remus to let them know what had happened and Sirius had immediately wanted to leave to check on her but Remus had told him to wait.
"I want to see her," Sirius whined.
"You will," Remus sighed. "You know Tarou said that she would go to her therapist earlier today."
"I know," Sirius sighed. "But what if she hadn't been able to…"
"I don't even want to think about that," Remus said.
Sirius nodded and the elevator stopped and they stepped out and Sirius pushed the doorbell impatiently. He felt like it took forever for the door to open and he was disappointed when it was Tarou who came to open the door.
"Ah, Remus, Sirius," he said. "Come in."
"How is she?" Sirius asked.
"She's alright now," Tarou smiled looking relieved. "Her friends are here."
Sirius felt a little disappointed but followed Tarou until they reached the living room and heard the noise from the television and chatter from the teenagers from the room. Sirius paused beside Remus as he looked in and easily recognized the group of friends from their first meeting with Mac at the restaurant. He saw Mac curled up between Daiki and Seijuro while the others were spread around the room.
He took a moment to just watch them and noticed that Mac seemed to be perfectly at ease with them around and was even smiling slightly and laughed as they joked about the movie they had put on. It was a basketball movie from what Sirius could tell and he heard their comments on how they would play better than the actors on the screen.
Remus was doing much of the same as Sirius but he paid a little closer attention as he watched Mac. She was relaxed and seemed calm and even happy. It was a closeness to them that reminded him of the friendship he had with Sirius and James (and even Peter but he refrained from thinking about him). He was suddenly curious to just how much the group knew about Mac. She couldn't have told them everything, could she?
"Ah," Ryota blinked having noticed them first. "Mac-cchi, your…um, what are they to you really? But those guys from England are here."
Mac turned in slightly on the couch and looked over at the door spotting Sirius and Remus.
"Hey," Mac said. "I didn't know you were coming?"
"Your uncle called," Sirius said stepping into the living room. "We wanted to check to see that you were okay."
"How are you?" Remus asked concerned.
"Fine," Mac said. "I'm fine now."
Remus noticed the looks she got from her friends but they didn't challenge her on her statement and he wasn't sure if that was because they were there or because they believed her or not.
"That's good," Remus said.
He was aware of the narrowed look from Seijuro as Sirius asked more questions and got Mac into a conversation. Remus wasn't blind to the watchful eyes from all of her friends, really. Only Daiki seemed somewhat at ease with them there and that was probably because he had seen them since that meeting at the restaurant.
Tarou had disappeared somewhere into the apartment and Remus wasn't sure where, but it was clear that he had been giving Mac time with her friends unsupervised and was confident in their ability to help Mac.
"What is it that you do exactly?" Seijuro asked bringing Remus' thoughts back to the present and realised that Seijuro was watching him.
"I used to be teacher," Remus said. "But I haven't been doing that for the last couple of years because I have been looking for Mac and other reasons."
Seijuro watched him and Remus wondered if it was normal for a kid to have that intense look that made you feel like they were seeing straight through you.
"I see," Seijuro said.
Sirius was talking more easily and used his natural charm to make the others relax. Now that Mac had accepted him they weren't as defensive as they had been before and therefore allowed themselves to relax a little. Remus envied him that.
"Are we watching the movie or not?" Atsushi suddenly said. "And I'm out of sweets."
"I'll find some more sweets for you," Mac said getting up and waved off Daiki's hand when he started to follow her. "I'm fine, Daiki."
He sighed but sat back and scowled slightly while Atsushi beamed at Mac.
"Do you want to join us?" Tetsuya asked politely and Remus jumped at the sudden question and realised that he had completely missed the other boy. Again. Huh, that was some skill.
"I didn't see you there!" Sirius exclaimed.
"Sirius;" Remus sighed. While that was true there was no reason to point it out…
"What?" Sirius asked. "I didn't! And I would love to have been able to do that back when we were at school! Think about all the pranks we could have pulled if we could get around undetected like that?!"
"Like you and James needed any more help in order to pull pranks," Remus rolled his eyes. Because…invisibility cloak. They already got around undetected when they wanted to.
"I don't know what you mean, Moony," Sirius said.
Mac stepped back into the room and blinked at the bemused looks given to Remus and Sirius before placing more snacks on the table.
"Alright," she said looking around. "What have you been telling them now?"
"You pulled pranks at school?" Ryota asked curiously. "Mac-cchi's dad did as well?"
Mac stilled slightly before looking up at Sirius. She was a little curious as well.
"We loved playing pranks," Sirius said with a smile knowing he had Mac's attention as well now. "We called ourselves the Marauders. It was a great time…"
"How did you meet Mac-chin's dad?" Atsushi asked already eating the new sweets.
Mac sat down again between Daiki and Seijuro and leaned into Daiki. She didn't stop her friends asking and just waited to hear the answer. It felt…a little different hearing about her parents like this. Her thoughts from before came back and she wondered what her life would be like if her parents had still lived. She probably never would have been here or met her friends or Daiki…
"I met James on the train to our boarding school when we were 11," Sirius said. "I shared a compartment with him. We became friends right away and later were placed in the same house and shared a dormitory with Remus and…and another boy as well. That's when we really met Remus and became friends with him as well."
"That's the school Mac would have gone to if she had stayed in England?" Shintaro asked pushing up his glasses trying to look like he wasn't really paying any attention to what they talked about.
Remus frowned slightly as he looked at Mac and then at the others. There was a very knowing look in their eyes… He wasn't sure if he wanted to allow himself to think what he was already thinking…
"Yes," Sirius said seemingly without picking up on the same thing as Remus did. "It's a place she had her name written down since she was born."
Mac shrugged, "I don't mind not going. I liked Teiko and I like Too Academy."
Her friends smiled at her and she smiled back and Remus noticed how Daiki's arm tightened around her while Seijuro's hand was resting on her leg that she had pulled up onto the couch.
...
Mac inhaled as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her cheek was still bruised from behind hit and she knew her arms had some bruising from his hands as he held her down, but other than that she didn't feel any pain from the attack. She just wished that the bruises (especially the one on her cheek) would have gone away and that she could have used some of the potions she had but since it had been seen by Harasawa and other muggles she knew she couldn't just magically be free of the bruises and evidence of the attack. It would raise too many questions.
She pulled at the shirt and bow that was around her neck as she grimaced slightly. She wished she could have worn more comfortable clothing. Just this day, but that was impossible.
She had come back from her magic lesson and had heard from Sato what had happened the day before at the police station and how Hanamiya now was handled and didn't remember the magic part of the attack. He believed that Daiki had arrived and pulled him off just as the cover version that Seijuro had thought up had said. And Sato told her that the ministry worker had added a small compulsion on him that would keep him away from her and would make him believe that staying away from Mac was the smartest decision he could make. Mac felt relieved knowing that Hanamiya wouldn't come looking for her again.
Mac shook herself out of her thoughts and picked up the bag and left her room.
She was outside of the school when she paused and looked up at it. She could feel her heartbeat harder in her chest and her hands felt sweaty all of the sudden, she clenched them tightly as she stared up at the large school that had always seemed perfectly nice and welcoming to her. Now it seemed…big. Too big.
She inhaled before she pushed herself forward and walked through the gates. She jumped when a hand connected with hers and turned to see Daiki beside her smiling at her. She let out a small laugh in relief as she squeezed his hand though she did push him for scaring her.
"What?" He blinked at her.
"You scared me," Mac said.
"Sorry," Daiki said. "I thought you noticed me coming up behind you."
Mac knew she had probably spaced out and it wasn't his fault that she wasn't paying attention so she just shrugged and let it go as she kept pace with him into the school and to their classroom. She hesitated outside the door. Daiki stopped as well and looked at her. He squeezed her hand again and she looked at him and inhaled before she nodded and followed him inside.
She walked to her desk and refused to look at anyone. She sat down and pulled up her books from her bag.
"Potter-san!"
Mac stilled as she looked up and saw Miyamoto Kouji and Nakano Shizuka staring at her with wide eyes.
"Hey," Mac said before looking back at her books.
"What happened?" Nanako asked worriedly.
Mac forced herself to smile as she looked at the other girl, "nothing. I'm fine."
"But…"
"Thank you for worrying, but I'm fine now," Mac said smiling weakly but at the same time made it clear that she wasn't going to talk about it with them. While she got along with them she didn't feel the need to tell them what had happened.
"But you are okay?" Nakano asked worriedly as she leaned closer and looked at Mac with wide eyes. Mac nodded. "Good. I'm glad you are okay."
Mac allowed herself to smile and nod before she turned her attention back to her book. She knew Daiki was watching her from his seat and took comfort in knowing that he was close by. Nishimura came into the classroom then and everyone fell silent.
Mac felt someone looking at her and raised her eyes to see Nishimura watching her with a searching look. Mac looked back at her notes and tried to ignore it but it was hard. When she looked back Nishimura had looked away and was pointing at something on the blackboard as she talked.
"I want you to get into groups and discuss the book," Nishimura finally said.
Since they had already been split into groups for the class Mac sighed as she waited for the others to join her around her desk. Ito Kaori, Ishikawa Kyo and Mori Juro pulled chairs up to her desk and she noticed the way the eyed her bruise but she pretended that she didn't.
"That looks painful," Ito said quietly.
Mac shrugged, "it's not that painful."
"What happened?" Mori asked.
Mac shrugged not wanting to answer and they seemed to pick up on that because they didn't ask again. Ishikawa turned the attention to the book they were set to discuss and Mac felt relieved.
...
The practice had started but Mac wasn't there and Harasawa glanced at the clock. She was normally on time and he felt a little worried. She had come to school today, right? He glanced over at Sakurai who was warming up with the others.
"Sakurai!" Harasawa called.
"Yes, coach?" Sakurai paused and looked at him.
"Did Potter come to school today?" Harasawa asked.
He noticed that the others paused as well now and looked at them curiously. He was not sure what they knew about what had happened yet.
"Yes," Sakurai frowned slightly. "She did."
"Then where is she?" Abe asked.
"She not normally late," Wakamatsu commented.
Harasawa frowned slightly.
"Did…did something happen?" Sakurai asked timidly.
"Eh? Why did you ask that?" Namamura asked.
"Because she has a bruise on her cheek," Sakurai said. "She didn't tell anyone how she got it."
"A bruise?" Imayoshi asked.
"Sorry! I'm sorry I don't know!" Sakurai apologized.
Harasawa frowned deeper and sighed. He wasn't sure what to do but right now there wasn't much he could do so he told them to go back to practice. He watched as they started again but noticed the now concerned look on their faces and knew they were thinking about Mac.
Suddenly the door opened and a second-year that wasn't part of the regulars came in and he looked over his shoulders before the door closed again. He looked confused. Harasawa arched a brow as the boy came over to him.
"Um…why does Mac and Aomine stand outside the door and refuses to come inside?" he asked.
Harasawa arched a brow. Mac was outside the gym?
The others stopped what they were doing again and glanced at the door. Harasawa moved to the door and opened in and true, there was Mac. She was just standing there but the look on her face had him frowning worriedly. She looked pale and it didn't seem like she realised that the door had been opened or that he was in front of her.
...
Mac walked beside Daiki toward the gym and felt her heart start beating harder and harder the closer she came. It was thumping in her ears by the time she saw the door and she froze.
Hanamiya coming at her. She dodged him but he kept coming and then he tackled her to the floor… the weight of him above her and holding her down. The pain to her cheek and taste of blood in her mouth…
"Kenzie?" Daiki's voice sounded worried but Mac couldn't focus on it right now.
He laughed…mocking, taunting… the smirk playing wickedly on his lips like he was making fun of her and seizing her up at the same time.
Hypocrite…hypocrite…
Miracle princess can fight?
Not good enough…
Mac couldn't move as she stared at the door and an overwhelming sense of danger and fear gripped her. She clenched her hands and tried to push the thoughts out of her head but it was not possible…
"Kenzie?" Daiki's voice penetrated her thoughts.
"Y-yeah," she managed to say.
"What's wrong?" he asked concerned.
"No-nothing," Mac muttered. "I just...I need a minute."
Mac was vaguely aware of Daiki saying something but the words were muffled as she stared at the door and tried to force herself to move. She just had to take a step and then another…but her legs were heavy and refused to obey her.
She was unaware of Daiki looking at her worriedly as the sounds from the practice inside slipped out in the hall and she knew that they had started and she was late. She knew, but her legs still wouldn't move.
She couldn't do this…
Everything came back and she couldn't do this… Why couldn't she move? She had to be there…they had the Winter Cup coming up soon. They still had a lot to prepare… what was she doing? What did she think she was doing just standing here? She had to…she had to…
Why couldn't she just go in?
Daiki watched Mac and was a little lost on what to do. Should he drag her in or should he wait until she was ready? Should he get the coach? He felt helpless. She didn't respond when he called her name and when he tried pulling at her hand she held back and refused to move.
He settled on just standing beside her waiting until she was ready and just being there because he was worried and he didn't want to leave her side. He needed to be right there. He kept his eyes on her face and felt a rush of anger (again) as his eyes lingered on the bruise on her chin. She was beautiful to him. Her pale skin was smooth and her green eyes behind her glasses were darker with thoughts and what he suspected was memories. He wished to make them shine like they did when she was happy, he had never seen anyone's eyes light up the way hers did and he loved seeing it. He loved being the reason she smiled and making her eyes shine.
"Potter-san?"
Daiki looked to see the door opened and Harasawa, Imayoshi and Susa standing there looking concerned. Daiki wanted to snap at them to leave but he bit his lip in order to stop the words. He looked at Mac and knew she hadn't really registered the new people there.
Harasawa looked at him and he grimaced.
"She needs a minute," Daiki said.
"Is she okay?" Susa asked concerned. "What happened?"
"They don't know?" Daiki asked glancing at Imayoshi (who was watching Mac with opened eyes for once) and Susa (who looked concerned) before looking back at Harasawa.
"No," he said.
Daiki squeezed Mac's hand but she stood still and didn't respond and to be honest…it was starting to scare him. (å
"She was attacked two days ago," Daiki finally said knowing that it would come out and that Imayoshi and Susa could be trusted. Mac trusted them, at least.
"Hanamiya," Imayoshi said coldly.
"Yes," Daiki said.
The anger on Imayoshi's face started Daiki a little but he felt it probably shouldn't. Susa looked angry as well but more concerned as he watched Mac.
"Kenzie," Daiki said stepping closer to her and placed a hand on her cheek and the contact made her blink and she startled slightly when she saw Harasawa and the two seniors.
"Oh," she said. "I'm late."
"Apparently you've been here on time," Imayoshi said but his eyes were worried.
Mac frowned, "I…"
"It's fine," Harasawa said. "Potter-san, you can go home today."
"But…"
"It's alright," Harasawa said reassuringly. "If you're not ready today then maybe tomorrow."
Daiki glanced at Mac and saw the indecision and embarrassment in her eyes even though it was very well hidden.
"Kenzie," Daiki said. "It's alright. No one is angry at you. They know what to do and your plans for them is perfect and they know them. They can handle a practice without you, so it's fine that you need another day."
Mac bit her lip and looked at the gym. She felt like she was losing by not going inside but her legs just refused to work for her and her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest (and not in a good way) just thinking about entering the gym.
"Your plans are perfect, Mac," Susa said with a kind smile. "Take care of yourself now, okay? We'll be here waiting for you when you're ready. Okay?"
"Of course," Imayoshi nodded having closed his eyes again and smiled his (almost) normal smile. "We're set. We'll work hard for you, Mac. Promise."
Mac glanced at him before looking away again and her hands clenched before she nodded slowly. She didn't like it, she wanted to say that she was fine but the words wouldn't come out.
She lost.
...
"Ah, you're back," Koizumi said with a warm little smile that told Mac that she had been expecting her. She almost turned and left but the memory of her being unable to enter the gym made her stay. "Well, sit down, Mac."
Mac sat down at the edge of the seat feeling stiff and uncomfortable. She wasn't sure why she had shown up there now. It was pretty late in the afternoon and Koizumi must want to get home for the day. Mac glanced at the older woman but only saw a kind and patient smile on her face. Understanding.
"You're not going to talk tonight either?" Koizumi broke the silence after five minutes.
"I didn't listen," Mac said quietly looking at her hands that were resting in her lap.
"Sorry?" Koizumi asked confused.
"I didn't listen," Mac said looking up at her. "When everyone said that he would…that he would know that it was me and that he would want revenge! Everyone worried about me and I didn't listen!"
"Ah," Koizumi said. "Why didn't you?"
Mac stared at her for a moment unable to find the words right away.
"I…I thought I could handle it," she finally said quietly. "I didn't want them to worry about me again. I thought that I could deal with it and now I can't even go into the gym. I am weak."
Koizumi was looking at her and Mac shifted a little as her muscles protested at the tension in her body.
"Tell me what happened," Koizumi said.
Mac glared at her, "I told you! I couldn't go into the gym for practice!"
"Why couldn't you?" Koizumi asked. "What stopped you, Mac?"
Mac scowled as she got up and paced the floor. What was she doing here? Why had she even come? She had been desperate and thought that maybe she would be able to help but this wasn't helping! All she did was ask why and why and why! It was clear why! Mac was weak, that was why!
"Because I'm weak!" Mac snapped. "I shouldn't have come… Just…forget it."
"You finally took a step and came to see me," Koizumi said before Mac could leave. "That tells me that you want help. Mac, there's nothing wrong in asking for help. There's nothing wrong with being here or needing to talk to someone. And let me tell you something; I know you are not weak, Mac."
Mac turned and looked at her again and frowned.
"Being here proves that you're not weak, Mac," Koizumi said. "You're willing to fight and you're willing to do what you have to in order to get through it. Self-denial and avoiding the situation is what makes you weak. Dealing with it and fighting back makes you strong."
Mac stared at her.
"So, sit down and let's talk, Mac," Koizumi said leaning forward slightly and smiled at her. "You're already here; so what harm can it do? Let's talk about it."
Mac frowned but slowly moved back to the couch and sat down.
"Fine," Mac said.
"So, please, tell me what stopped you from going into the gym?" Koizumi asked again.
"I…I kept seeing him and hearing his voice," Mac admitted. "I was alright yesterday after I had been here and my friends came over and we watched a movie and just talked. I was fine then and I even slept alright, but ever since I got to the school today I kept being reminded of him and everyone asked about the bruise and then when I was going to the practice I came as far as to the door and I just…froze."
Mac clenched her hands as she told Koizumi this and glanced over at Koizumi who was looking calm and understanding and not judging her.
"That's a normal reaction, Mac," Koizumi said. "It's just a few days and it was the first time being back where it happened."
"But nothing happened," Mac said.
"Nothing?" Koizumi arched a brow. "You were still attacked even though you managed to stop him before he got too far."
Mac winced.
"But Mac," Koizumi said more urgently now, "don't you see?"
"See what?" Mac blinked.
"You stopped it from going too far," Koizumi said. "You fought back. I heard you even broke his nose."
"I still risked everything by using accidental magic," Mac said looking down. "The magic just acted on its own."
"Magic is sentient in a lot of ways, Mac," Koizumi said. "It reacts in order to protect you and it's a part of you. It might have been accidental but it still was your power that protected you from him. I am sure Professor Sato told you that it is allowed to use magic to protect yourself. It's nothing to punish you for."
Sato had told her that but she still felt a little uneasy because of it. She didn't like feeling like she lost control over it and she was worried about what would have happened if the magic hadn't acted as it did.
"I can't help but think about what could have happened if the magic didn't do that," Mac whispered.
"Understandable," Koizumi said. "But, playing with what if's and if only's is dangerous, Mac. You can do that until next month and never get a good answer. What if your magic hadn't reacted? What if you didn't fight back? What if he did this or that… But what if your magic hadn't reacted but you managed to fight him off? What if you hit him in the head and he was knocked out? What if your boyfriend came back and pulled him off like you said he did?"
Koizumi paused and looked at Mac seriously.
"Do you see? It can go both ways," Koizumi said. "What if's can also turn to the positive, so don't focus too much on the negative. You made it and you did fight him back, Mac. You did. You're strong."
"But why was I feeling fine yesterday and now…" Mac almost whined (she'd deny it later).
"You had your friends with you," Koizumi said. "You said you trust your friends. I would say that because they were there you managed to relax and feel safe."
Mac nodded and looked at her hands.
"I can't let this stop me," Mac said. "I have to be there and help the others. We have the Winter Cup coming up and I really want to win with this team."
"I can understand that, but you need to remember that you matter as well, Mac," Koizumi said. "You can't put the others in front of yourself all the time. You need to take the time you need to heal and move on."
"I need to play basketball with my friends," Mac said. "I need that and I can't let this keep me from it! I need basketball."
Koizumi looked at her and scribbled something in her notebook but she didn't say anything. Mac was feeling too tired to wonder about what she was writing down.
...
Mac stared at the door to the gym the next morning and closed her eyes. She inhaled before she put her hand on the door handle and pushed the door opened and the sounds from her team talking and laughing lightly welcomed her as she stepped into the gym.
"Hey! Mac!"
"There you are!"
"We missed you, Mac!"
Mac smiled and felt her heartbeat slowly calm down and she relaxed more as the welcoming smiles and words washed over her. She felt Daiki squeeze her shoulder and when she glanced up at him she saw the proud look on his face making her blush.
She could do this.
...
...
AN: What do you think? XD
I apologize for the awkward therapy sessions...I did my best but I still feel like they are a little awkward. I have no experience with therapy so I have only done some research in order to know what to expect from a session.
Hope you liked the chapter! Next chapter should be the start of the Winter Cup! Finally! XD XD
Thank you for reading! :)