Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Kuroko no Basket!
...
...
1st year - Too Academy
...
They had won! They were through to the semi-finals! Tetsuya could barely believe it, and he didn't think he had stopped smiling since the end of their match against Yosen. It had been a very rough match, and so far their hardest one to be honest. Yosen was a physically strong team that specialized in defence, and for an offensive team like Seirin, it had presented a challenge. But they had eventually worked it out and won their match, even if it was only with a one-point difference.
Atsushi had surprised Tetsuya, though. Tetsuya had never believed that Atsushi could enter the zone, but he had. That Taiga had done so wasn't surprising to Tetsuya, but Atsushi? Well, yeah. It wasn't like he had kept his dislike for basketball a secret.
Maybe he liked it more than he would admit.
"Come on," Riko said, making them collectively groan as they glared up at her. "We have to get out of the locker room at one point."
"You're evil," Koganei muttered.
"I don't think I can move…" Izuki groaned.
Hyuga made an agreeing sound even as he pushed himself off the bench he had been sitting on. The others took that as incentive to get up as well, even if they looked exhausted the happiness from their win was still clear on their faces.
Tetsuya ended up walking beside Taiga and glanced over at him. He looked pleased yet tired, so Tetsuya didn't think he was too upset over the match against Himuro.
"Are you okay?" Tetsuya asked.
"Why shouldn't I be?" Taiga asked.
"Well, if you're fine, then that's good," Tetsuya said. "I just thought with Himuro…"
"Tatsuya and I are good," Taiga said. "We're still brothers."
"Good," Tetsuya said with a smile, but it fell quickly when he spotted a familiar figure standing leaned against the wall just up ahead and Tetsuya knew he had been there waiting for him. He stopped walking and scarcely noticed that Taiga and the others stopped, looking at him curiously.
"Hello, Tetsuya…"
Tetsuya pushed back the initial reaction of apprehension and dislike… though; he also felt a deep-seated sadness.
"Haizaki-san," Tetsuya said quietly. "I wasn't expecting to see you."
"No, I guess you wouldn't," Haizaki smirked pushing off the wall and turned fully to face Tetsuya.
"Why are you here?" Tetsuya asked noticing the jersey he had on under the open jacket.
"To play basketball of course," Haizaki said wryly, "I'm going to play Mac and Daiki next, don't you know?"
Tetsuya tensed and frowned marginally as he took in the darker grey eyes and the resentment in them.
"I see," Tetsuya said.
"So, I'll meet you in the next match," Haizaki smirked, starting to walk away. "After I deal with Mac…"
"Oi," Taiga scowled, picking up on the barely hidden resentment in his voice aimed at his cousin. "Watch it."
Haizaki paused and glanced over at Taiga, "oh? Another fan of our star manager, oh right, player?"
"If you have a match, then you should get back to your team," Kiyoshi said calmly, but his eyes were sharp and he stepped forward to get between Haizaki and Tetsuya.
Haizaki gave him a look and smirked, "Mac's ex, eh? Still defending her?"
"How did you know that?" Tetsuya asked quietly.
"Who knows?" Haizaki shrugged and turned around. "See you in the semi's, Tetsuya!"
...
"Um… who was that?" Taiga asked.
"Haizaki Shogo," Tetsuya said.
"And… he is?" Hyuga frowned. "He seemed… familiar with you."
"He used to be on our team back at Teiko," Tetsuya said. "I didn't realise that he still played…"
Tetsuya frowned and glanced toward the gym where Mac and Daiki soon would face Haizaki. He didn't doubt that Mac knew that Haizaki was their next opponent, and he didn't doubt that Daiki was angry.
"He was at Teiko?" Taiga asked, surprised.
"Mm," Tetsuya nodded distractedly. "I'll stay and watch their match, coach."
Riko frowned but nodded, "we'll all stay, I think."
Tetsuya glanced at them and saw them nod, and Taiga smiled. He was always up to watch more basketball and especially if his cousin was playing.
They found free seats in the stands and saw that Too Academy had already entered the court and Tetsuya could tell he was right just by looking at Mac and Daiki. Daiki looked angry as he glared over at the other team, but Tetsuya couldn't see Haizaki yet.
"Looks like Aomine is angry," Kiyoshi observed.
"He looks more fired up than normal," Hyuga nodded.
"I wonder what Mac has done to keep Aomine so calm," Tetsuya said.
"Calm?" Koganei asked.
Tetsuya nodded.
"You said you didn't realise that he still played," Kiyoshi said, looking over at Tetsuya with a calculating look. "What did you mean by that?"
"Just that he quit," Tetsuya said. "Back in our second year at Teiko…"
"Why did he quit?"
"Akashi made him," Tetsuya said. "I'm not sure what exactly happened, but it was probably because of something he did to Mac."
Taiga frowned worriedly.
...
Seijuro was not happy at all. He had just won his match against Kaijo and had learned that Too Academy was up against Fukuda Sogo and what he realised meant Haizaki Shogo. That idiot had continued to play basketball!
He had missed it. How could he have missed it? He was glaring so hard that Mibuchi looked over at him worriedly, but Seijuro couldn't bring himself to care because he was so angry! Haizaki would play against Mac! He had promised himself that the other boy never was to be allowed close to Mac again. That was why he had kicked him off the team and suggested that he also left the school.
"We won, so why is he angry?" Hayama whispered to Mibuchi.
"Who knows?" Mibuchi shrugged.
Seijuro glanced over to the other side of the court and saw Ryota still sitting on the bench, looking lost in thought. He had played well, Seijuro would admit that. He had been a little surprised by the fact that Ryota had gotten so far with his ability to copy their moves.
"Ryota," Seijuro said, and Ryota looked up and the hurt from the loss still played in his eyes, but he straightened when he saw Seijuro and managed a small smile.
"Yeah?"
"You know who Mac will face in their match?" Seijuro asked.
"No… should I?" Ryota asked.
Seijuro knew that Kasamatsu was glaring at him, and it irked him. He restrained from snapping at him, though. If only for the reason he could appreciate the fact that the other Captain seemed to want to protect his own player from him. Not that Ryota needed the protection, but still… the thought was there. And he supposed that it was reasonable that Kasamatsu reacted to the Captain of the winning team seeking out someone from the team that had just lost. But this was for Mac, and the normal rules didn't apply any longer.
"Yes," Seijuro said. "Haizaki Shogo."
"What?!" Ryota asked shocked before his eyes narrowed. "He still plays?!"
"Yes," Seijuro said. "And he'll not take it easy against Mac."
...
Atsushi was on his way out of the locker room ignoring the others when his phone went off and after a brief hesitation, he pulled it out and saw that it was from Seijuro. He opened the text knowing better than to ignore something from Seijuro even if he just wanted to go back to the hotel and sleep for the next week. It hurt to lose, and he didn't want to play basketball anymore.
Watch Too Academy's match with us. Seijuro.
Atsushi scowled.
No, he didn't want to. Even if it was Mac's team…
"Atsushi?" Himuro brought him out of his thoughts and he realised that he was blocking the door so he stepped out and scowled down at the phone.
What to do?
They are playing Haizaki. Come. Seijuro.
Haizaki?! Atsushi tensed as he remembered their former teammate and how he had behaved…
"I'll crush him!" Atsushi growled.
"Eh? Atsushi?" Tatsuya asked.
"I'll watch Mac-chin's match;" Atsushi said looking at Tatsuya briefly and wondered if the other boy was still angry at him. He didn't want that, but still… he was just tired of basketball.
...
Mac had just finished warming up when she felt someone watching her. She looked up and saw Haizaki standing in front of her and smirked when he noticed he had her attention. She straightened slightly as she pushed back the apprehension she felt. He had changed slightly since she'd seen him last. He was tall, though he always had been, and his hair had changed, before his hair was lighter grey and kind of messy, now it was a darker grey and in cornrows that he had braided back against his head.
"Mac," he smirked. "You're still the same."
"You've changed, Haizaki," Mac said.
"You think so?" he asked, but shrugged. "Well, we can't always stay the same…I'm going to take back what was mine."
"And what is that?" Mac asked, keeping her voice light.
"I'm supposed to have been one of you, one of the Generation of Miracles, but you and Akashi made sure that never happened," he was smirking but his eyes were cold and calculating.
Mac said nothing, knowing she would only make it worse if she did.
"What? Got nothing to say?" Haizaki taunted. "Well, I'll destroy you and your precious Daiki on the court."
Mac fisted one hand but kept calm.
"I see nothing to say to something like that," Mac said. "Now, I should get back to my team…"
He opened his mouth to say something but stopped when Daiki came rushing over and placed himself so he was almost in front of Mac and between the two of them.
"Ah, Daiki," Haizaki said. "I was wondering when you would turn up for the rescue."
"Stay away from Kenzie," Daiki said with a glare.
"Eh? There's nothing wrong with saying hello to an old friend, is there?" Haizaki challenged.
"You never were our friend!" Daiki snapped.
Mac sighed, but she noticed the shadow that crossed Haizaki's face and briefly wondered about it.
"Whatever," Haizaki scoffed before turning to walk back to his own team but he paused and looked over his shoulder and licked his thumb (Mac always hated that habit) and smirked at them, "I will take your title as a Miracle."
Mac narrowed her eyes as she watched him stroll off, and the confidence rolled off him. He really believed he could win and that he would take the title as a Generation of Miracles. She didn't think it was because he really wanted to be one, but more because he wanted it because they had it.
It was just how he always had been…
...
-Flashback-
"Oi! Don't steal her food!" Daiki protested with a dark glare. "If you're hungry, ask for another helping! Quit taking people's stuff!"
"Calm down, Daiki," Mac sighed. "It's no big deal."
He looked at her and she knew he was thinking about Dudley and the one time she had let slip that he loved taking her food or eat what she wanted just because she wanted it. Undoubtedly, he was thinking about that and didn't want to see her food being taken here as well.
"It's not!" Daiki denied.
"What's the big deal?" Haizaki asked with a strange kind of smile, almost as if he was feeling sorry for Daiki because of something only he knew. "You eat people's food all the time… or maybe you just don't want to share Mac's food?"
"I only do it when I'm hungry!" Daiki defended himself while Mac sighed and noticed the small smile on Seijuro's lips showing that he found it amusing. For now.
"That's the same thing, Aomine," Shintaro said.
"What…" Daiki growled. "I don't take Kenzie's food unless she gives it to me!"
"But you take Kuroko's," Haizaki pointed out.
Daiki scowled.
"I don't mind," Tetsuya said calmly.
"And don't chew so noisily, Haizaki," Shintaro said, "it's low class."
"What?"
"And you should learn how to hold your chopsticks properly, Murasakibara," Shintaro continued as Atsushi was eating his rice.
"What?" Atsushi asked looking over at Shintaro before looking over at Haizaki, "I'm being caught in your crossfire, Zaki-chin."
Haizaki smiled, "your fried chicken looks good, too. Got your…"
He reached for it but Atsushi was faster and guarded his food with his arms while glaring at Haizaki with a look rarely shown outside of the basketball court.
"Take a single pickle, and I'll crush you," Atsushi growled.
"You're more fired up now than on the basketball court," Daiki huffed.
While Mac sighed and reached out to pat Atsushi's arm reassuringly.
"He will not take your food, Murasakibara," Mac promised before looking back at Haizaki.
"Shut up," Haizaki said, smiling his half-smile that was clearly condescending, "I'm always telling you it's not because I'm hungry. Food always looks so good when someone else is eating it." He licked his thumb. "I can't help myself."
Seijuro looked up and Mac knew he was observing him, calculating a plan in his mind, and she wondered what he was thinking.
"Come to think of it," Shintaro spoke up before Daiki could react to the latest statement from Haizaki, "a second-year is joining the first string today. Apparently, he just started playing two weeks ago."
"I know," Mac said. "He's good."
"You know him?" Daiki asked just as Tetsuya asked his name.
"Kise Ryota," Shintaro said. "He's the first rapid promotion since us."
"I was the one who told him that he was promoted," Mac said, noticing the narrowed eyes from Haizaki as he at her.
"Coach had you watch him?" Seijuro guessed.
"Yeah;" Mac shrugged. "He reminds me a little of Haizaki."
"He's nothing like me," Haizaki said with a small glare at Mac before he smirked again, "but I got a feeling that he'll be pretty good… but I doubt we will be friends, though."
-End flashback-
...
He had been right. He and Ryota didn't become friends, and Haizaki had gone out of his way to provoke Ryota. Mac was suddenly grateful that Haizaki wasn't going to play against Ryota and Kaijo. Because other than her she knew Haizaki was the angriest at Ryota (well maybe Seijuro but she wasn't too sure).
"That idiot," Daiki scowled, pulling Mac's attention over to him. "I should have punched him when I had the chance."
"Calm down, Daiki," Mac said. "You need to focus on the game."
"You okay?" Daiki looked over at her, ignoring the last part of what she said.
"I'm fine," Mac said.
"He didn't hurt you?" Daiki asked.
"We just talked, Daiki," Mac rolled her eyes; "you saw that he didn't hurt me."
"Still..." Daiki frowned.
Mac sighed. To say that Daiki had been tense and angry ever since learning that their opponent for the quarter-final was Haizaki Shogo (and Fukuda Sogo) would be like saying that the world wasn't round.
...
-Flashback-
Mac felt apprehensive as she stood in front of her team and couldn't help but glance over at Daiki, who was lying on the bench looking relaxed and bored. She knew he wouldn't stay like that for long, though.
"Potter?" Harasawa's voice brought her back from her thoughts and she withheld a sigh.
"Our next match will be against Fukuda Sogo," Mac said. "They are a team from Shizuoka and have made their way to the quarter-finals."
"So, anything interesting about them?" Imayoshi asked. "I haven't heard of them before."
Mac grimaced and glanced over at Daiki once more before looking back at Imayoshi.
"Well, I know one of their players," Mac admitted. "And so does Daiki."
"I do?" Daiki asked before he yawned. "Who?"
Mac swallowed.
"Haizaki Shogo," Mac said.
She could tell that the others didn't have a reaction to the name, though Imayoshi arched a brow and looked like he might have heard the name before, but Daiki abruptly sat up and stared at her horrified.
"What?!" Daiki practically growled.
"Haizaki Shogo is a player for Fukuda Sogo," Mac repeated.
"Um…what's so special with him?" Sakurai asked timidly before he apologized.
"I'm curious too," Abe said, looking at them curiously.
"He still plays? I thought he quit!" Daiki said, ignoring the others as he looked at Mac with a glare she knew wasn't meant for her but rather Haizaki. He shot up from the bench and paced the floor, making the rest of the team eye him warily because they would have to be blind (they weren't) not to see the anger that burned in him. "He was supposed to have stopped playing basketball!"
Mac sighed.
"Just because he quit our team doesn't mean that he didn't continue to play elsewhere, Daiki," Mac said tiredly. "Now, sit down and stop pacing!"
Daiki fisted his hands but sat down on the bench when Mac glared at him and scowled at the floor.
"Why did you think he had stopped playing basketball?" Imayoshi asked with a curious look on his face as he looked between Mac and Daiki.
"Never mind that, who is he?" Inoue asked.
"He used to be a part of Teiko," Mac said, exchanging a look with Daiki, "before Seijuro kicked him off our team in our second year."
-End flashback-
...
"Now then, don't drag me down, idiots!" Haizaki's voice travelled back over to where Mac was standing and she was brought out of her thoughts again. She frowned as she heard the way he talked to his teammates and saw the way they bristled and tensed.
"Yeah, we know," Ishida Hideki said.
Mac frowned as she watched Ishida. He was their captain, and it looked like it pained him just having to stand there close to Haizaki. It probably did, Mac thought pensively. She knew he was a good player, Ishida was on the national level of players, and she knew his strengths were his speed and his outside shots. She also knew he had regrets having to use Haizaki… He kind of looked like Kiyoshi, Mac thought as she watched him.
"Still the same," Daiki muttered from beside her.
Mac nodded.
"Looks like it," Mac said pensively.
...
Too Academy vs. Fukuda Sogo
...
0 – 0: start of the match
...
Mac sat on the bench slightly upset, but she knew it was nothing she could do about it. Harasawa was the one who decided the line-up, and he had told her that he wanted her to use her observation skill to gather data on Fukuda from the start. It wasn't the first time he had wanted this so she pushed back her nagging feeling that it was other reasons for it.
Susa won the tip-off and got the ball to Imayoshi who dribbled the ball a couple of times just as he got up against Ishida.
"Oh," Imayoshi said. "Good defence…"
Ishida just kept his eyes on him determinedly.
"Well, then…" Imayoshi smiled and upped his speed and got past Ishida, whose eyes widened slightly.
Mac noticed how Haizaki looked over his shoulder and followed the movement with sharp eyes.
"Hm," she frowned and scribbled something on her notebook.
Imayoshi then, maybe a little uncharacteristically, jumped up and shoot the ball.
...
3 – 0: 1 minute played – 1st quarter
...
"Oh, so that's how it's done," Haizaki said.
Koiso Yue hurriedly got the ball to start their play again and immediately passed it to Ishida who was covered by Wakamatsu but before Wakamatsu could do anything Ishida passed it to Haizaki who was running toward the hoop and Imayoshi was between him and the hoop.
Mac watched from the bench with a pensive look on her face and frowned when she saw Haizaki use the faint that Imayoshi had used earlier and got passed him. Imayoshi looked mildly taken aback but more interested than anything else, but Haizaki was already closer to the hoop and Daiki came up between him and the hoop.
Haizaki smirked as he upped his speed and got past Daiki who hadn't expected the speed and narrowed his eyes.
He's faster than before, Daiki thought.
"Out of my way!" Haizaki yelled and pushed his teammate out of the way before he jumped up to dunk the ball in the net, but before he could do that Daiki had caught up with him and knocked the ball out of his hands.
Haizaki landed and turned toward his teammate, Mochizuki Kazuhiro, who looked blankly back at him.
"You stood in my way and slowed me down," Haizaki said as he raised his hand and slapped Mochizuki across the face and the slap seemed to echo in the gym even amongst the cheering.
Mac wasn't the only one who tensed watching this… Daiki narrowed his eyes and fisted his hands tightly as he watched while the rest of them watched as if they couldn't believe what they had just witnessed. To see someone so deliberately hit someone on their own team… Imayoshi was frowning and glanced over at Mac, who looked tense.
...
"That guy's his senior!" Taiga exclaimed aghast.
Tetsuya frowned from where he was sitting beside Taiga.
"Seriously?" Izuki commented.
"I had heard rumours," Hyuga said. "That made the Generation of Miracles look like villains, that they're overwhelming strength was so brutal and created resentment and antipathy among the other teams."
He frowned slightly and looked over at Kiyoshi, who looked thoughtful.
"It's part of the reason why I was so… hesitant toward Mac at first," he admitted. "I remembered our match against them, of course, but I also remembered hearing about how they completely ruined other players."
Tetsuya looked over at Hyuga, who was still looking down at Haizaki.
"I'm starting to think that maybe Haizaki was the real reason for those rumours," Hyuga said. "In our match… while they were overwhelmed and completely walked over us, they never went out of their way to hurt us."
Tetsuya didn't say anything, but he was sure that Hyuga was right. At least, somewhat. He knew that they couldn't blame everything on Haizaki, and anyway, Haizaki had been a part of their team so… he sighed as he looked back at the court. He knew Mac had regrets when it came to Haizaki and how he played, but at the same time… he hadn't always been so rough, it had come gradually. And Mac had stopped suggesting him for the coaches when they looked to her for suggestions about the team line-up. Especially after Ryota joined them.
And that had created resentment from Haizaki, who immediately knew that Mac was the reason.
...
Mac gritted her teeth when she heard Mochizuki apologize to Haizaki when it was clear that Haizaki was the one who crossed a line. She saw the barely withheld anger in the rest of the team.
"Hm," Harasawa hummed. "That's troubling…"
Mac nodded.
...
11 – 9: 6 minutes played – 1st quarter
...
Fukuda Sogo was keeping up, and the pace of the game was rather slow. While Too Academy had the ball a lot, Fukuda Sogo was defending themselves well, but it wasn't a question how they managed to keep up with them.
Haizaki.
Mac sighed at the bench. Daiki allowed his anger to influence his play and was making more mistakes than normal even though he still scored and blocked Haizaki, but it was clear that the other player deliberately provoked him.
Had he always been like this, or had that come later? She didn't remember he ever really hitting someone on their team before… well; he did kind of threaten her at the end, but… No, he hadn't turned on his team like this.
What had happened? Was this… her fault?
She frowned.
...
Wakamatsu growled annoyed as he glared at Haizaki who was smirking. Not even Daiki got Wakamatsu that worked up! How could that bastard play like that and just smirk like he hadn't a care in the world?!
"Respect your senpai's, bastard!" Wakamatsu snapped as he rushed forward and dribbled the ball quickly (just as Mac had trained with him to do) and got past Haizaki before having a free path to the hoop only to have Haizaki catch up with him again and jump up to block him from dunking the ball through the hoop.
"Don't lecture me, idiot!" Haizaki said.
"You're the idiot!" Wakamatsu snarled as he passed the ball to Daiki who was free and quickly made the shot before Haizaki could react.
"To think I had to pass to you," Wakamatsu grumbled eyeing Daiki who rolled his eyes.
"It was a nice pass….considering," Daiki said lazily.
Wakamatsu felt his eyebrow twitch, but right now he was angrier with Haizaki and would gladly work with Daiki if it meant bringing Haizaki down.
...
"They're fast," Namamura commented when Ishida got the ball and the rest of the team followed with rapid movement.
Ishida passed the ball to Mochizuki who faced Sakurai who looked determined to stop him, but Mochizuki stopped and jumped before he shot the ball underhanded from a low position.
"A scoop shot?" Abe asked, surprised from the bench.
"I thought only that one from Seiho could do that," Inoue added. "Kasuga something?"
"There are others who can do it too," Mac said distractedly. "Mochizuki is one of them, and he's very good at it. I told you guys that in the preparation for the game."
"Oh, right…"
Mac frowned, thinking hard.
...
Daiki performed one of his formless shots, causing the spectators to cheer loudly as someone yelled out something about how strong the Generation of Miracles was.
"Are you really trying?" Daiki asked. "Or was it all talk?"
Haizaki narrowed his eyes.
"It's impossible for us to get along," Haizaki said. "And who're you to talk? Hiding Mac away, are you? Scared?"
Daiki glared.
...
17 – 15: 10 minutes played – 1st quarter – end
...
"They're keeping up with Too better than I expected," Taiga frowned, looking down at the court. He saw Mac having gotten up from her place at the bench and was standing in front of her teammates with her notebook, and she was clearly talking. He briefly wondered what she was telling them.
"Yes," Riko agreed. "Fukuda got this far as well, though, so they must be good."
"I wonder why they haven't put Mac on the court yet," Izuki said. "I would think they need her…"
"You're right," Hyuga said.
"I'm sure they will soon," Kiyoshi said.
"If Aomine-kun hasn't stopped it," Tetsuya said.
"Eh?"
"Why?"
Tetsuya didn't say anything instead he was staring thoughtfully down at the court.
...
"He hasn't changed," Ryota muttered darkly.
"He hasn't," Seijuro agreed. "I should have made sure he never played basketball again."
He really hated that he had missed this. He couldn't believe that he had missed it!
"I'll crush him," Atsushi said, glowering down at the court. "He looks at Mac-chin wrong!"
"But why is Kuroko-cchi not here?!" Ryota whined.
"He is watching with his team;" Seijuro said impatiently.
"But…" Ryota pouted. "I want him to join us!"
"Mido-chin isn't here either," Atsushi said.
"Shintaro is playing as well," Seijuro said. "He can't be here."
"Oh," Atsushi said.
"Mac-cchi doesn't look too happy," Ryota observed as he looked back at Mac, who seemed to be in a small glaring contest with Daiki.
"Hm, looks like she's coming in," Seijuro said, narrowing his heterochromatic eyes slightly.
He wasn't sure what to think about that… a part of him wanted her to sit this one out, to not take any risks because he knew Haizaki was angry at her and would most likely target her. Yet, another part of him wanted her to get out there and destroy the bastard! Show him what the difference between them really was! Show him why she was one of them and he wasn't.
...
Mac glared at Daiki, who glared right back. She knew he just wanted to protect her, but honestly, she was getting tired of it! She knew that the others looked at them nervously, but she ignored them as she kept her focus on Daiki and knew what he was thinking.
"Kenzie…" he started.
"No," she said, and he scowled at her but fell silent.
Harasawa eyed the two of them before he sighed. The tension was back, but at the same time, he knew they would handle it.
"Potter-san you're in," Harasawa said. "Wakamatsu-san, you're on the bench for now."
Wakamatsu nodded but didn't look too happy about it and Harasawa caught him looking at Mac worriedly.
...
17 – 15: 10 minutes played – 2nd quarter – start
...
Mac entered the court and noticed the way Haizaki looked at her and smirked. She would not deny that she flashed to Hanamiya right then, and that she had to push back the way need to tense. It wasn't the same… Hanamiya was different.
"Finally," Haizaki said, "you're here, Mac."
"So I am," Mac said quietly but kept her eyes on him without flinching. "You've grown in your skills, Haizaki."
"I'm stronger than you now," Haizaki said confidently. "I'll prove it!"
Mac looked at him for a long moment before she hummed. "We'll see."
He narrowed his eyes at her and huffed, "yes, we will!"
...
-Flashback-
"You're not playing him, Kenzie!" Daiki interrupted her when she had started to tell the others about Fukuda and she glanced over at Daiki who was on his feet and glaring at her.
"Excuse me?" Mac arched a brow at him.
"You're not playing Haizaki!" Daiki said, surely. "I won't allow it!"
"You won't allow it?" Mac repeated a cold note in her voice, and Daiki flinched back a little before he tensed again and met her glare.
The rest of the team and Harasawa watched quietly, but also with some apprehension (or curiosity in Imayoshi's case) as Mac and Daiki were locked in a glaring match.
"You know what I mean," Daiki muttered.
"No, I don't," Mac said.
"You know he will target you!" Daiki said.
"So?"
Daiki fisted his hands, "so? So, you shouldn't play!"
"I will not hide from him, Daiki," Mac snapped. "I'm not scared of him!"
"It's not about you being scared," Daiki said.
"Then what's it about?" Mac asked sharply, feeling hurt that Daiki seemed to think she couldn't handle meeting Haizaki again. "Because that's how it'll look to him and to everyone else!"
"It's about you not getting hurt again!" Daiki said.
Mac looked at him for a long moment before she looked away and half-turned so she was facing away from him.
"I'm fine," she said. "I know how to handle him."
"Calm down," Harasawa spoke up calmly. "Why is Aomine so against you playing this Haizaki?"
Mac sighed and mentally cursed. She didn't want to drag this up. It was the past, and it was concerning their old team. Not something she wanted dragged up now. Not like this…
"It's nothing," Mac said. "We used to play together, then we didn't."
"We all know it's more than that," Imayoshi said.
Mac frowned, considering what to say. She gave Daiki a dark look, but he just glowered back, but she could see the worry in his eyes.
"He… well, he blamed me for the coach's decision on not letting him play when Kise joined our team," Mac finally said. "He wanted me to tell our coach to have him play and not Kise, but I said that I wouldn't do that. I told him that he had to work for it, but he didn't like that. His attitude toward basketball differs from ours, and our coach didn't like it, and neither did Seijuro. Or the rest of us, so when Kise joined us and was good and had similar skills, well, he naturally took his place."
"You think he will take it out on you during the match?" Harasawa asked.
Mac shrugged while Daiki said, "yes!"
"And I told you I'm not running from him," Mac glared at Daiki before she looked over at Harasawa, "coach, I can play. I'm not afraid of him."
"We'll see," was all Harasawa said.
-End flashback-
...
Mac passed the ball to Imayoshi, who immediately shot the ball, but it bounced off the metal of the hoop and down below the basket where Okutani Tomoe caught the ball.
"Fast break!" he yelled.
He threw the ball toward Koiso Yue who was running toward the other hoop and seemed to have a free path, but before he could get the ball Haizaki was there and stole the ball from his own teammate.
"Quit scampering around, pipsqueaks!" Haizaki yelled. "I told you to keep giving me the ball!"
...
In the stands Hyuga was cracking his knuckles while glaring down at the court, a dark aura seemed to surround him as he did so.
"He stole his teammate's pass…" Kiyoshi said shocked (though he wasn't sure why he still felt shocked by Haizaki's actions).
"If he joined our team, I would have taught him some manners!" Hyuga growled.
"Are you getting riled up while watching a match?!" Koganei asked warily. "Clutch-mode!"
"It's never too late," Riko growled also cracking her knuckles with a dark aura around her even as she smiled dangerously.
"Both of them!" Koganei and Izuki exclaimed.
...
Haizaki was running toward the hoop when Mac got in front of him, making him pause and bounce the ball as he watched her while the rest of her team caught up and come back on the right side of the ball.
"Bring the ball back, Haizaki!" Koshima Yoshia called coming up behind Haizaki.
"What? Don't be stupid," Haizaki answered.
Mac narrowed her eyes as she watched Haizaki and noticed how his eyes looked around. If it had been anyone else, she'd believed he was looking for options on who to pass the ball to, but he was probably not thinking about that.
He smirked.
Then he crouched down slightly before jumping up and releasing the ball when he was in the air and the ball flew through the air and through the hoop.
"What…" Sakurai gaped, stunned.
"That was Sakurai's quick-release shot!" Wakamatsu said from the bench.
"He copied it!" Abe blinked.
Mac cursed herself for not stopping it, but she wasn't surprised that Haizaki had done it.
Imayoshi's eyes were opened as he looked at Haizaki, who licked his thumb as he stared at Mac. He knew Mac had said that Haizaki could steal moves, but it was another thing to see it. It reminded him of Ryota from Kaijo, but Mac had said it was different… Though, he had used his own move earlier in the match, but it wasn't anything like this level. This was Sakurai's special shot, something almost no one else could do!
...
22 – 24: 14 minutes played – 2nd quarter
...
Mac fisted her hands as she took in the fact that for the first time during this match, Fukuda was in the lead. She glanced at Daiki and knew he needed to get even more involved in the match, and they had to set him up.
Mac got the ball and immediately Haizaki was in front of her and she saw the challenge in his eyes. She dribbled the ball and watched how his muscles moved before she moved to the left and as he followed spun around and went to the right instead and got past him. She heard him curse behind her and knew he was moments away from getting side to side with her because he had longer legs and he was fast.
She noticed that his team had marked everyone on her team pretty well so she hesitated for a moment allowing Haizaki to come up in front of her again and just as he did she dribbled the ball between her own legs and spun around so she faced her own hoop and took a couple of steps that way before spinning around again and jumping up to find that Haizaki had followed her.
Perfect.
She moved the ball as if to shot and he had already raised his arms in order to block it, just as she had predicted, so she lowers the ball and passed it to Daiki who had (easily) lost his mark and was ready to get the ball.
Haizaki glared at her when they both landed and took off after Daiki, who easily parked Ishida who had tried to stop him and shot the ball through the hoop.
...
"Woah!"
"She's amazing!"
Taiga smiled proudly as he watched his cousin down at the court. She really was great! She had solved that situation beautifully! The way she seemed to know what Haizaki would do and how she got free even though he was so close… it was amazing.
"She has gotten even better since last I saw he play," Kiyoshi smiled.
"I hope we get to play them in the semi-final," Taiga said. "It'll be fun!"
"Fun?" Furihata asked, stunned. "How will we handle both her and Aomine?!"
"Oy! What's this?" Riko asked dangerously. "We owe them! We will win next time!"
"Y-yes!" Furihata paled.
Taiga smirked, just thinking about the challenge and all the work he had put in with Alex was enough to get his blood pumping. He was sure he was much stronger than last time they'd played, and he couldn't wait until he got a chance to test it. He also knew that Tetsuya had come a long way with his own work with Alex and that he was getting better and better at shooting.
...
Sakurai got the ball in perfect position and quickly crunched down before jumping up and released the ball, but his eyes widened even as he landed and watched shocked as the ball bounced off the metal of the hoop and out.
"What? Sakurai missed a three-pointer?" Inoue asked from the bench.
"That's not happened before…" Abe muttered.
"What happened?" Sakurai mumbled, shocked.
Mac sighed and exchanged a look with Daiki.
...
Mac couldn't help but noticed as the game went on that they made more and more mistakes and Fukuda's players stole the ball more and more often. Something she knew resulted from Haizaki stealing their moves.
She wiped her brow with the back of her hand as she pondered what to do next. She and Daiki had been doing what they could, and that was why Fukuda hadn't gotten ahead of them on the scoring board.
She got the ball again and dribbled it past Ishida who frowned but she ignored him as she noticed Haizaki coming up and she saw Daiki close by but she also knew that Haizaki would easily guess it if Mac was to pass the ball to him, she could tell he was already thinking that since he had placed himself so he could more easily steal the ball if she did.
She dodged Koiso Yue and quickly jumped up and shot the ball in a high arc and watched how it flew through the hoop.
...
28 – 28: 20 minutes played – 2nd quarter – end – break
...
Harasawa watched them as they sat on the benches in the locker room. They were all breathing a little harder, even Mac and Daiki. Though, the latter two looked much better than the rest. He frowned. He knew from Mac's stories that Haizaki had been someone they shouldn't underestimate. But from the videos he's seen, Fukuda hadn't been this good.
Had they been holding back?
What was going on?
The only reason they weren't behind was Mac and Daiki. Harasawa would admit that as he let his eyes scan over Imayoshi, Susa and Sakurai. They were all a little off… they made more mistakes than normal.
"Coach," Mac spoke up just as he was about to speak.
"Potter-san?" Harasawa looked at her.
"Their moves have been stolen through the first two quarters," she said, and he blinked. He had just been about to address the mistakes they had made, had she known? "That's why we keep losing the ball, we're messing up the timing."
"He's been doing it with more than just Sakurai's shot?" Wakamatsu asked.
"That's just the flashier steal;" Mac nodded. "He has been using your drives and dribbles more subtly, but it's enough…"
Imayoshi glared, and Mac wondered if she had ever seen him like this during a match.
"How do we stop it?" Imayoshi asked.
...
Ryota was frowning as he stared down at the court. The hurt he felt for having lost against Seijuro and Rakuzan was still there and he longed to just get home so he could deal with it on his own, but he knew he would not leave while Mac faced Haizaki.
He was kind of glad he wasn't the one facing Haizaki… he never did well against him. They were too much alike; well when it came to their skills at least, even though Haizaki differed from him as well.
A small nagging doubt in the back of his mind had him questioning if Haizaki was better than him. Maybe he deserved to be one of the Generation of Miracles more than him…
Not that he cared about that title. Not really. It was more about belonging in the same group as the rest of them, with Mac and Tetsuya and the others.
He sighed. "We're too much alike."
Seijuro glanced over at him.
"What are you talking about, Ryota?" he asked.
"Haizaki and I," Ryota said. "We're too much alike…"
"In a way, yes," Seijuro agreed, "but in other ways, no. He's not good enough to steal from us, but you are. Or, you copy but don't steal."
Ryota felt oddly better at Seijuro's words. They weren't comforting really, but still… it was a small comfort.
"They need to rely more on Mac and Daiki if they want to win this," Seijuro said, changing the subject slightly. "Haizaki has the others in a tight hold."
"Mm," Ryota nodded.
"He's annoying, and he keeps glaring at Mac-chin," Atsushi muttered.
He didn't say that he wanted to go and find Mac and hug her. Mac's hugs always made everything better… he swallowed as he tried to push the hurt back. He didn't like to lose…
...
28 – 28: 20 minutes played – 3rd quarter – start
...
Mac caught the ball when Imayoshi passed it to her and she immediately faced Haizaki who smirked at her. She dribbled and allowed the movements to come naturally as she moved past him and passed the ball to Daiki, who caught it easily.
"I don't know what you're trying to do," Daiki said loud enough so Haizaki could hear him, "but you're still just a bug."
Haizaki scowled when Daiki used his speed and broke free from his mark and made his way toward the net. He sidestepped everyone easily and shot the ball just as Haizaki caught up to him and got in front of him to block the shot.
Daiki arched brow but allowed himself to fall back and shot the ball as he did performing his formless shot.
"You are fast, though," Daiki said as he landed. "I'll give you that."
...
Haizaki scored again and this time he used what Mac recognised as Moriyama from Kaijo's special shot with the ball moving through the air with no spin to it and flew through the hoop.
...
Sakurai missed his quick-release shot again and scowled darkly at the hoop.
...
Haizaki scored using a shot that Taiga had used before.
...
Daiki made a three-pointer from a distance, showing off his ability to score from practically anywhere on the court.
...
Haizaki stole the ball from his teammate again and scored using shot stolen from Ryota this time, and Mac narrowed her eyes because she knew that he did that purposely.
...
Ryota scowled where he sat in the stands when he saw Haizaki use one of his own shots against Mac. How dared he?! He fisted his hands.
...
49 – 47: 30 minutes played – 3rd quarter – end
...
Haizaki was glaring over at where Mac was standing with Daiki. She was smiling… He glared harder and fisted his hands. This wasn't going as he wanted.
Ishida observed Haizaki quietly. He saw the dark mood that the younger player seemed to be in and noticed the way he kept looking at Mac from the other team. He allowed his own eyes to look over at her and would admit that she was good.
He knew that the only reason they even had a chance at this, that the only reason they were still hanging on was Haizaki. But…
"Oi! Get me something to drink!" Haizaki snapped angrily at one of the bench players.
"Y-yes!"
… their team had changed since he had joined. And, Ishida thought grimly, not for the better. He bit back the words that so desperately wanted to escape, knowing that it would only make things worse. And, he hated to admit it; they needed Haizaki.
...
49 – 47: 30 minutes played – 4th quarter – start
...
Mac was running dribbling the ball close to her as Ishida came in front of her making her pause slightly and consider her possibilities. He moved to his right (her left) so she moved the other way when something heavy suddenly crashed into her from behind just as she was turning and flung her forward with more force than she had been running with.
Time slowed down and speed up at the same time.
Daiki watched with wide eyes as Mac was flying forward and crashed to the floor face first letting out a cry as she landed before going quiet… his breath felt like it was caught in his throat and he could not move for what felt like the longest time.
Imayoshi's eyes opened as he took in the fall and how Haizaki was staring down at Mac being the one who had crashed into her from behind.
Susa's mouth popped open as he looked at the scene with horror and concern about Mac filled him.
Sakurai bit back a cry as he took in the scene and felt like everything stood still…
There was no sound, it was like everything had stopped and someone had muted the sounds before the collective gasps filled the arena and the referee blew his whistle.
"KENZIE!" Daiki broke free from his immediate reaction and what had seemed like forever was in reality just a couple of seconds. He rushed forward and pushed Haizaki out of the way with no care as he fell to his knees beside Mac.
...
"Mac-cchi!" Ryota gasped with wide eyes.
Seijuro felt his nails digging into the palm of his hand as he stared down at the court. He had to work on not getting up and rushing down to the court, to where Mac was as he watched Daiki rushing over to Mac, who still hadn't really moved since landing. He gritted his teeth.
"I'll crush him!" Atsushi growled. "I will… He hurt Mac-chin! Zaki-chin hurt Mac-chin!"
...
Taiga stared down at the court with wide eyes and his mouth was open in horror. He couldn't believe it!
"Whoa!" Izuki gasped. "That was…"
"Did he do that on purpose?!" Koganei asked.
"Is she okay?" Furihata asked worriedly.
Kiyoshi was tense as he stared down at Mac and ignored the others. She hadn't seen Haizaki coming behind her as she turned to get away from Ishida, but had Haizaki timed it so she would move that way just as he came behind her?
Tetsuya was frowning and looked a little pale as he was watching without saying anything. He just kept watching Mac on the court and Daiki, who had been the first one at her side.
...
"Kenzie," Daiki said again and reached out to grab her shoulder and heard the small wheezes coming from her and the whimper of pain.
Mac couldn't stop the whimper as the pain registered in her brain. It hurt… it hurt worse than she could remember hurting in a long time… She could hear Daiki and he sounded frantic and she knew she had to calm him down, she just had to catch her breath properly first.
She turned around, so she was on her back and knew Daiki had helped her, but she focused on breathing and trying to not think about her left arm hurting or the pain coming from her stomach slash chest. Turning around made breathing easier, and she gulped down the much-needed air.
"Kenzie," Daiki sounded scared. She needed to tell him she was fine… She forced her eyes open again and saw the fear on his face as he was watching her, and she tried to smile even as pain pulsed through her.
Daiki noticed her eyes were a little clouded, normally clear and green they seemed hazy now and pain-filled them. He noticed how she kept her left hand close to her chest and her right hand that had reached over to cradle her left as soon as she had turned around hadn't let go since. He wasn't sure she was even aware of how she was holding her hand.
"Potter-san?" Harasawa had reached them now and was kneeling down beside her.
"I'm fine," Mac said, though her voice was a little tight.
She noticed that her right hand was keeping a hold of her left wrist and let go so she could use her right arm to push herself up in a sitting position. It hurt! A pained gasp escaped her before she could stop it, and Daiki immediately reached out to stop her.
"Fine," Mac muttered and pushed herself up in a sitting position with Daiki's help. She wouldn't admit it, but she was grateful that he sat so she could lean on him because she still struggled slightly to breathe. She took a deep breath and found that it helped, so she did it again and again.
"Keep breathing like that," Harasawa said when he noticed what she was doing. "You probably had the air knocked out of you."
She nodded, "landing on the basketball can do that…"
Daiki huffed, feeling a little calmer now that she was moving and talking again. She still looked like she was in pain, though.
"Let me take a look at your left wrist, Potter-san," Harasawa said.
Mac frowned and glanced down at her left arm that she kept cradled against her chest now that she had let go of it with her right hand. It hurt something bad, and she mentally cursed.
She tried to hide the grimace as she moved her arm, but the pain flared again as she did, and she noticed that Harasawa was careful when he reached out to take her wrist in his strong hand. She bit down on her lip when he gently turned it and frowned.
"We need you to get to a doctor to get it checked out," he said looking up at her, "it might just be a sprain, but you might have broken it."
Mac nodded.
"Let's get you up," Harasawa said and looked over at Daiki who nodded and together they helped her back to her feet. She noticed the rest of her team standing there, then and tried to smile reassuringly to them.
"I'm fine, guys," she said.
"Good," Imayoshi said.
"Wakamatsu!" Harasawa called. "You're on!"
"Yes, coach," Wakamatsu said finally looking away from Mac and removed his jacket. He patted her on the shoulder when he passed her, though, and she smiled slightly at him.
She didn't want to stop playing, but she knew better than to try to tell them to let her play. She wasn't foolish enough to think she could do anything with that wrist right now. It was hurting something bad, and it was already swelling up and turning a deep red.
It didn't mean that it wasn't annoying, or that she wasn't angry that she had to sit the rest of the match on the bench.
...
Daiki glared at Haizaki. He wanted to… no, he couldn't. He had to stay calm. But he itched to hit him for hurting Mac. He wanted to hurt him for hurting her! He glanced over at Mac who was sitting on the bench beside Harasawa and the anger filled him again as he took in how pale she looked and the barely hidden pain in her face. Someone had gotten her some ice that she had put around her wrist, and she kept it close to her body.
"Let's finish this for Mac," Susa said and clasped a hand on Daiki's shoulder just as Daiki was about to lose control and rush at Haizaki. He looked over to meet Susa's eyes and knew he had seen that Daiki was about to snap and had interfered before he could. "She would want us to finish this on the court."
Daiki nodded shortly.
"All right," Imayoshi said from beside them. "Let's do this."
...
78 – 62: 37 minutes played – 4th quarter
...
Daiki was again facing Haizaki, who was breathing pretty heavily now and sweating as he tried to keep up. It was impossible, as Daiki was faster and more agile than he was, so he got free without much effort.
Daiki shot the ball from a distance, and they could only watch as the ball flew through the hoop once more.
...
Don't be ridiculous, shitheads, Haizaki thought desperately as the rest of Too Academy found their way back and work out their moves again. The tension in them was completely gone now, and Haizaki couldn't understand how or why. That never happened before!
Sakurai stole the ball from Koiso Yue and immediately crunched down before jumping up to shot his quick-release shot and this time it was perfect and went through the hoop.
Haizaki's eyebrow twitched.
They were falling even more behind! They were losing this, and he would be humiliated by Mac again! She… No! He would not allow that to happen!
He had to win! They had to catch up! If not… if not, it was over! He wouldn't prove to her that she had made a mistake! That she had dismissed him when she should have brought him in!
He stole the ball from Ishida and forged forward and used Mochizuki's scoop shot, but Daiki was there and blocked him, making him lose the ball.
"Damn you…" Haizaki glared.
Daiki glared back at him, "you said you would take our title? Don't mess around! You're way out of line, Haizaki! You even hurt Kenzie! What's wrong with you?!"
Haizaki stared at him.
...
-Flashback-
"What did you say?" Haizaki demanded.
"Quit the basketball club," Seijuro said coldly and ignored the way Haizaki grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him close. "That's an order."
Haizaki glared. "What?"
"You tried to hurt Mac," Seijuro said coldly and with one hand grabbed Haizaki's wrist and, with more force than Haizaki believed Seijuro to have, forced him to let go. "That is unacceptable! I won't allow you to continue to be on our team after that!"
Haizaki felt anger and resentment fill him as he glared at Seijuro. If it hadn't been for Mac, he wouldn't be forced off the team like this. He shouldn't be forced off the team! He was better than that Ryota they had just added to the first strings! He was much stronger; they needed him! He belonged with them!
"You can't do that!" Haizaki denied.
Seijuro's eyes were cold when he stared at him, and Haizaki actually took a step back, suddenly wary of the other teen.
"Oh? I just did," Seijuro said. "I would also suggest that you change schools, because you will find that staying here will be… unwise."
"Are you… are you threatening me?!" Haizaki asked.
"No," Seijuro said, turning away. "I'm just letting you know how it is."
-End flashback-
...
101 – 69: 40 minutes played – 4th quarter – end
...
The buzzer went off signalling the end of the match and Too Academy had won! Mac smiled tiredly despite her wrist throbbing painfully even with the ice. They had won, and they were in the semi-finals!
...
...
AN: What do you think? XD
I'm so very sorry for being late in getting a new chapter ready! I just have been struggling with how I wanted this chapter to turn out, but I think this is as good as I'm going to get it. I must admit that writing out this match was difficult. Haizaki's character isn't a character I find easy to write, so I hope it turned out alright. Though, he will be in the next chapter as well. At least I think so. I took some inspiration from the original match in the anime, the Kaijo vs Fukuda match. So, there might be some similarities, but I didn't make Daiki or Mac struggle as much as Kise did in that one. Because neither Daiki nor Mac has the same abilities so they would not have the same challenges as Kise had when playing Haizaki... if that makes any sense.
And for Mac's injury...we'll have to see how that will affect her from now on... you think she should use magic to heal it? I'm not so sure she can do that now. But we'll see. If you have any ideas or thoughts please let me know. ;)
Oh, and in the anime, Daiki confronts Haizaki after he has played Kise and ends up punching him...you want to see something similar in this one? Or should it be someone other than Daiki?
Thank you for your patience and support for the story! XD