A/N: Thanks to everyone who followed and favourited and reviewed! It makes me very happy :)
Good news, I found some time to go through this again and post it almost according to my set schedule. Originally I wanted to post chapters 26 and 27 together, but I had no time to continue the story and I need to have some more chapters stored as a buffer until I finish the thesis.
Enjoy!
"I didn't like seeing you with him" he says. "I don't think I'd like seeing you with any other guy...beside me." ― Simone Elkeles, Chain Reaction
I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself. – Mikhail Baryshnikov
Humility is even more pleasing in people in whom arrogance would be understandable. ― Mokokoma Mokhonoana
One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot make a team. – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
She was a girl who knew how to be happy even when she was sad. And that's important—you know. ― Marilyn Monroe
"Did you get the photos too?" Aya asked him when she walked into the class after a morning practise.
Aomine was dozing off, but he quickly shook it off. "Hmm? Oh, yeah." He felt strangely goofy after pulling off the prank. Sure, getting home covered with itchy powder had been a terrible experience, but somehow, it had made him feel better.
In the turmoil of his confused and contradictory emotions, something good was sprouting. Something that felt so right. Something that was worth it. And it was Kagami Aya who brought it into his life. By this point he guessed it probably wasn't a crush anymore. But he wasn't sure at all. He had nothing to compare it with. She wasn't that simple. She wasn't naïve. She wasn't desperately searching for a boyfriend like some girls in their class. And he had no idea what was going on inside of her head. What she thought of him… And to some point, it actually worried him.
He stared at her, trying to guess her thoughts. I had no idea I'd be the one to ever chicken out…
But he could guess nothing at all, she chuckled and a happy smile settled on her face. "The one where you're pulling Aiko's cheek is awesome."She said.
He smirked; maybe he could try provoking her a bit? "Heh, the one where she's ripping my t-shirt looks really desperate. I wonder if her dear boyfriend saw that." There was something that flashed in her eyes, but it was gone before he could make his guess. He was completely new to this strange feeling he had.
"Knowing Aiko, even though I know her for just two days… I think they laughed at it together. Taiga teased me over the picture with Kise to no ends!"
Was she teasing him? Or did she want to see his reaction? "You didn't seem to mind it."
He'd received the photos in the evening. At first, he hadn't wanted to see them at all. But then… Satsuki had called him if he'd seen the picture of Kise and Aya and he'd gotten curious. Even Aiko had written him a message to tease him: Kise'd probably told her about his crush, or she'd guessed it somehow. Either way, Aiko knew. The message had said: 'Thought she said blondes are not her type…'. He'd gone through the photos, and he'd known exactly which one she'd meant. Or maybe two. The one where she was jumping on Kise's back making him topple forward. And then the one which had made him feel like punching Kise's nose, for enjoying the fight with the redhead. On that picture, she was basically straddling the blonde's hips trying to pull the itchy judogi's top over his head, while he held her wrists trying to keep her at bay. Her dress had been already torn then, showing off her entire right thigh all the way up to her hip. He'd been pissed off, jealous and envious at the same time. And then he'd imagined himself at the blonde's place and it'd been near impossible to fall asleep.
He had to fight off a blush. If only she knew…
"I wasn't particularly thinking or caring about it in the midst of the fight." She shrugged and then her eyes stared at him mischievously. "Oh… Did it make you jealous, Honey-bun?" She teased quietly, so that only he could hear. "Or do you want to have a photo with me too?"
And there went his tries not to blush. His cheeks heated up, and he knew his tanned skin wouldn't hide it from her sharp eyes staring right at him. "Ah… Uhm… Yea… No! … I mean… No! 'f course not!" He struggled with words like an idiot. She's a devil! Kagami: 100, me:0
She laughed at his reaction. "But don't worry; we do have a picture together." She smiled and a subtle blush appeared on her face too.
It made him blink. "Ha? What picture?" I didn't wrestle with you…
"That's a secret." She told him as if wanting to show him and then changing her mind in the last second.
"Not fair."
She chuckled. "Life's not fair… And I have one favour to ask of you." All the previous mischievousness was gone from her voice and expression.
His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What is it?" He asked carefully, all his flush gone.
"Don't share those pictures with anyone, please. Hikaru knows and I've already asked Satsuki and Kise and Aiko. Show it if you want, but don't send it to anyone."
"Why?" He wanted to know the reasons. Not the reasons behind the not-sharing – he wouldn't want that either, but the reasons behind her sudden seriousness.
She looked out of the window, resting her cheek against a palm. "Let's say I've had a bad experience with this." She looked back at him. And before he could ask further she added. "Maybe I'll tell you someday." Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes this time. "And I can't possibly have my father winding up seeing it."
"Oh." He could imagine. "You'd be done for…"
There wasn't a speck of humour in her laugh. "Trust me… If it were just me who'd be done for I wouldn't care, Honey-bun."
######
Happening around the same time:
"Ne, Ryuu?" Kano leaned over to his friend. "Did something happen?"
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"Look at those two." He pointed at Aomine and Aya, who were discussing something. "There is something… blooming around them…"
"He looks the same to me." Ishii shrugged, though Aya looked a notch happier than usual.
"The same? Dude you've just missed on seeing him blushing! I didn't think it was possible in his case."
"Huh? Aomine doesn't blush. Have you seen those magazines of his?"
Kano blushed and looked away.
"Uhm… I heard they pranked Kise-san yesterday." Kiku peeped, finally not stuttering around the team anymore. "Maybe that's it?"
"They what?" Both boys snapped their eyes at her. "How do you know that, Kiku-chan?"
"Ah well… I shared a phone call in the evening with Aya and Satsuki-chan."
"Oh… So that's it… But why would they prank him?"
Kiku shrugged. "I don't know really. Something about a video?"
######
"Aomine-kun!" Satsuki caught him near the shoe lockers before he could depart home.
He rolled his eyes before turning around to face her. He had a good idea what she could want. "What?"
"Where are you going?"
"Home, obviously."
"Come to practise!" She demanded. "We're facing Tetsu-kun on Saturday! That's only four days left, today included! You can't skip now!"
"And why not?" He asked in a bored voice and frowned. Why did she have to bring that up? He was feeling quite fine the whole day, not thinking about an unnecessary stuff… Until now.
"It's Tetsu-kun! I can't predict him at all!" And he promised me they'd win!
"Who's the strongest in our team?"
She frowned, knowing where this conversation was heading, but not able to contradict him. "Ah… You."
"How many points did I score in the last game?" He repeated the same questions he'd asked Wakamatsu the day he kicked him.
Her frown deepened. "94." She said reluctantly. She didn't want to feed his ego, but it was the truth.
He raised an eyebrow at her and a cocky smirk appeared on his face. "See? I'll win. Anything else you have to say?"
"It's Tetsu-kun and Aya-chan's brother! Can't you at least act a little bit serious about it all?!" She threw her arms up in a desperate gesture. It made her wonder how Aya-chan was coping with this attitude of his, because for Aya-chan, it'd been more personal than any other match.
"So you want me to get even better to make their defeat even worse than it's gonna be?"
That was partially his reason for missing out so many practises. If he got even better, the sport he loved would become even more boring. So far, he hadn't met anyone who'd stood his equal, and it scared him. Aya was awesome when it came to speed and tricks and not giving up, but she couldn't win against him in basketball. He really wanted to see her, but… at the same time he had no reason to discourage his own teammates. Except the few idiots like Kano, his teammates didn't even want to go up against him during practises, so what was the point? As much as he knew, they were steadily getting better anyways, and it would make him feel even number if anyone quit because of him again, as it had happened in Teiko before.
She stared at him as if reading his thought process. "I want you to be serious about it!"
"Yeah, yeah. Good luck with the practise." He turned on his heel and walked away, leaving the fuming Satsuki to herself.
######
Aomine's phone rang in the evening. "What do you want?" He growled at his friend.
"Aominecchi! How cold! I get you're jealous… BUT! It wasn't my intention to get straddled by Ayacchi! I'm innocent in this one. Don't be angry?!" The blonde whined dramatically.
A vein popped on his forehead and he hung up. Bastard.
The phone rang again and he ignored it, staring at the ceiling. But Kise was unbelievably persistent. The phone kept ringing and ringing and ringing for so long that Daiki couldn't ignore it anymore.
"What?!" He barked.
"Ah. You've picked up! Awesome!"
"What do you want?" He repeated the question irritably.
"Your next match is against Kurokocchi and Kagamicchi, right?"
"So?"
"Just be careful. Kagamicchi is not bad at all."
"Why is everyone fretting over it, hah?!" Now he was starting to get really pissed off. "The only one who can beat me is me! Not you, not Midorima and definitely not Kagami."
"If you think so…" He could literally feel Kise's shrug and that foxy smile of his. "But don't forget. Kagamicchi is Ayacchi's brother."
"I know."
"Ah well then... That's all. Have a nice night Aominecchi. And don't be too jealous." Kise chuckled and hung up.
"Urgh!" Daiki almost threw the phone out of the window.
"Where did he go again?" Aya asked Kano during a lunch break. If she'd known she'd have to look for Aomine she wouldn't have brought him a bento.
"Don't ask me Aya-chan. He just left."
"I saw him heading upstairs. Sorry I didn't stop him. I'm sorry. I didn't know you'd look for him. Sorry." Sakurai said.
"The rooftop, huh?"
"Did something sit on his nose again?" Kano asked, because in the past few days the ace went from aggressive to tolerable and even friendly to his usual grumpy and prickly self.
Aya sighed and shook her head. "I have no idea. Athletes tend to be worked up before a competition but he's… I swear his mood swings these days are worse than a woman on her period." She grabbed both lunches and left the classroom.
"Is she really going to look for him?"
"I'm sorry!"
Kano sighed. "It's not your fault, Sakurai. So stop apologising already." He then turned to his best friend. "Ryuu, let's play some one-on-one!"
"Eh? Now?" He blinked at Kano. Then he shook his head and stared at his half-eaten lunch. "Sure, why not. Wanna join, Sakurai?"
"If it's not a trouble."
They both sighed. "Why would it be a trouble, you are the regular, not us! Come on!"
"Uhm, can I join too?"
"Eeeeh?! Kiku-chan?! What happened?"
"Aah, uuhm… Aya's been trying to teach me to not trip over myself that much lately… So uhm…"
Kano grinned. "Since the party, huh? Geeeez, Wakamatsu-senpai would be beside himself if he knew!"
"D-d-don't you dare tell him!" She hissed. She wasn't ready to tell Wakamatsu, she's been trying to learn how to play basketball with her zero leg coordination.
"Wait up! I'm going with you!" Aya ran after her friends.
"Eh? Weren't you looking for Aomine?" Ishii asked eyeing the two bento boxes she was still carrying.
"I've changed my mind. I did lose a bet, but that doesn't make me his lapdog. If he wants my lunches he'll have to get them himself." She shrugged. She wasn't going to get angry over this. If Aomine wanted to be alone for now, then so be it.
"That's our Aya-chan!" Kano patted her shoulder good heartily and grinned at her.
She shook her head and had to smile. "Sure is!" But sometimes I need a reminder.
Lately, she was too preoccupied by Aomine's troubles, work and extra dancing practises that she felt like she neglected her other friends. She wasn't sure she liked the extension of the effect Aomine Daiki had on her. At first she was just curious about this Aomine Daiki phenomenon. But after she'd seen sides of him not everyone got to see, gentle and caring sides, though he desperately tried to hide it… She knew… Being in love with and trying to understand someone as complicated and as contradictory as Aomine was energy consuming. But for some reason, she felt it was worth it.
She was aware that her relationship with Aomine was different from what she had with the others. Special in a way. Or at least she liked to think that. But despite all that, she couldn't be so sure what he thought about her. And because of all the things on her plate, she didn't have much time to deal with it.
######
"Why didn't you bring me my lunch?" Aomine complained after school.
She raised an eyebrow at him. "I did. It's not my fault you disappeared the moment the lunch break started."
"You know where I went."
"With you it's never too sure. And besides… I lost a bet; I have not become your personal maid." Her reddish eyes stared at him with a scold.
"Too bad. I wouldn't mind having you as a personal maid, Sweetheart."
She raised an eyebrow at him and leaned closer over his desk. "You're playing with fire now, my dear." She warned him in a sweet voice with a daring edge to it. "I have enough to do as it is; don't expect me to look for you every day. Anything else you want to add?" And we're back to normal in one day.
He opened his mouth to retort, but closed them immediately after. There was nothing he could say that would be safe enough. He liked bickering with her, but he didn't really want her to hate him.
"Good choice." She nodded, and pulled his lunch out of her bag and handed it over. "Don't forget it next time."
######
"How's Taiga's leg doing?" Katsunori asked her during the practise.
The boys were playing mini matches, and because it was only two days until the match, Aya decided to observe them. There were things one could notice only when standing at sidelines. And if she joined now, she'd only hinder them.
"Hmm… I think it's getting better. He should be fine for the match."
"Who do you think is going to win?"
"Honestly? I think Touou has it pretty much in the pocket already. But I believe they will give us trouble and that the match will certainly be interesting and worth it." She sighed. "I don't like to admit it, but Taiga is still nowhere near Aomine's level, plus the injured leg and Satsuki's research…"
Katsunori raised an eyebrow at her. "Have you told that to Taiga?"
"We talked about it, in a way. I said if he wins he wins, if he loses he loses, either way he'll learn something important. It's not necessary to tell him 'you'll lose'. My team is Touou; it's obvious who I want to win more."
He pulled at his fringe and nodded. "So we'll need Aomine."
"We'll need Aomine." She agreed.
"Why don't you talk to the boys?"
Aya gave him a confused look. "What do you mean? I talk with them daily…?"
"About winning the championships… Or who your father is? I'm actually surprised no one has questioned it yet. I don't think we'd have any connection if it wasn't for Haruka and Kyou."
"Kagami is not that unique name and besides… Why do you think I told them to call me by my name on the day one?" She smirked and shrugged. "If they don't repeat my family name that often, it's not that questionable."
He was shaking his head in disbelief. The girl had it well thought out. "Why don't you want them to know?"
"What would it change? The whole school would know and I'd suddenly become a unicorn. Or wait, did you think I was an arrogant bastard who'd want all the attention?"
"Ahaha… No… Of course not."
She gave him an unimpressed look. "Really…"
He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "Well, I didn't see you or hear from you in years. And Haruka still ignores all the calls and e-mails I send him. So I thought you'd be exactly like Aomine was when I first met him. I was proven wrong in the first few days, but I still don't get why you keep it a secret. You love performing – attention, no?"
"I love performing. I don't like when people observe my every step in my everyday life. And once they know, it's hard to avoid that kind of 'stalking'. And again… What would it change?"
"They'd know you better. They'd get why you can rein in on Aomine. By the way, when exactly did you tell him?" He asked curiously.
"I don't know. I don't remember saying it to him directly, and yet he claims I had."
"And about Haruka?"
"He hasn't figured it out yet, though Satsuki knows, so I s'pose it's only a matter of time now." She shrugged, she knew about Satsuki's love for gossips, she just hoped the pinkette would keep quiet at least about something.
"Then I'm surprised it's not all over the team yet. But listen… They've started to question how good you are and all… Maybe it'd be better if you tell them yourself, so they won't feel betrayed."
"Betrayed? I haven't lied."
"Maybe not, but you purposefully haven't told them things. They are your friends, at least some of them."
She stared at the boys for a moment and then she sighed. "… I'll think about it."
######
Not practising was like a torture for Taiga, mainly when the coach forced him to sit by and watch. He was playing around with a ball, spinning it on his fingers, or just throwing it up in the air. He was feeling antsy and considering going out to the outside court. Thinking about Aomine's superior skills didn't make it easier in the slightest.
Thankfully, before he could seriously leave, Aya came home.
"Tadaima." She greeted him as she jumped out of her shoes and undid her ribbon.
"Okaeri', I thought you'd stay over practise." He said sheepishly, sitting on the couch fully dressed and ready to leave.
Her eyes immediately narrowed in suspicion. "What were you planning?"
He gulped and discreetly hid a ball behind his back. "Nothing."
Not as discreetly as he'd wanted.
"Taiga?"
"Okaaaay!... Maybe I wanted to stop by the courts. Just to throw in some! I wouldn't've jumped at all! I swear!"
Aya sighed and scratched her head. "I swear you are never gonna learn. We live on the 14th floor, the lift is still not working and probably not going to anytime soon. Your leg is injured and you've already went down and up the stairs once. Do you really want to lose that much?"
"I'm not gonna lose! I've promised that to Kuroko!" He answered immediately, standing up to enhance the importance of the promise.
"Then keep to that promise and stay put. I mean it."
"It doesn't hurt that much today, so I thought… Maybe… A little bit."
"A little bit would be your end Taiga. Please, don't damage your muscle more than it already is. Even if it doesn't hurt as much anymore, it's still strained. It needs time!"
Taiga pouted. "Says a girl who won a competition when the skin on the soles of her feet was torn and peeled off. Or her toe nail was missing… Really."
"It was nothing that could turn into a serious or permanent injury, and you know it."
"…" He slumped back onto the couch.
Aya nodded to herself. "Good that we understand each other." She unbuttoned her shirt and headed to her room to change into more comfortable clothes. "What's for dinner?!"
"Eh? You haven't told me to cook it."
"Then let's make something together. What do you want?"
"I'm not that hungry… But I'd like something with fruits. Something sweet."
"Fruits with yoghurt? Or something more sophisticated?" She came back to the kitchen and took out a knife to cut whatever fruit they had.
"That can do." He nodded and shuffled to the counter to help her.
They worked in a comfortable silence, until they had a huge bowl full of cut fresh fruits. Even if Taiga wasn't 'that hungry', he could still eat an unbelievable amount of food.
"Katsu asked me to talk with my boys… About my championships..." She said with a sigh.
"You still haven't?" He raised an eyebrow at her.
"Have you talked with your team about our father?"
"'f course not. They expect a whole lot from me as it is. If they knew it'd only add pressure. I don't want that, I don't think I can measure up to him just yet."
"This is so weird." They said in unison and sighed.
"I mean, I should've told them long time ago, it's just… I don't know. I don't want them to think I'm something special, when I'm not." Aya mused staring at her hands.
"You just won some world championships… It's easy, anyone can do it. Tcs… nothing special." He said sarcastically and took out white yoghurt from the fridge.
She punched his shoulder. "But yes! If one trains enough! It's not like I know everything. I'm not perfect. There are so many things to improve, so many dances out there I haven't tried yet, some I haven't heard about at all."
"You are seriously scary. Anyone with your experience would be so full of themselves."
"I can be too."
"…Only if you decide you need to act like a bitch and pull out that mask."
She shrugged. "Sometimes it's needed. … How should I tell them anyways? Like 'by the way I won a couple of world championships?'"
"Why not? It could be funny. But really… you want to tell them tomorrow? One day before the match?"
"Probably not. I need them focused on Saturday."
"We've been researched, right?"
"Into the smallest details. Yes."
Taiga frowned and stuffed his mouth with yoghurt and fruits. "We haven't done that… I just watched the matches I could get. But Aomine seemed… slacking off."
"Because he was. He shouldn't do that while facing Kuroko. Or so I hope."
"Do we have any chance?"
"Of course you do! There is no such match with 0 chances to win. Satsuki can't analyse Kuroko at all. And she doesn't have much data on you either. I wouldn't sell off my brother. So… You do have a chance."
"Tche! We have the match tomorrow and Ahomine hasn't come to practise once! Why the hell is he still going to play?!" Yamaoka protested after hearing that Aomine should play as a starter in the match against Seirin.
"Because we'll need him." Imayoshi said calmly. "He is the best after all."
"He is too full of himself if you ask me! It's not fair."
Imayoshi took a deep breath to answer without hitting his teammate, because this banter was going on for some minutes. And the coach didn't seem prone to react at all.
"Life's not fair. Get over it." Aya barked, annoyed by the argument. She knew it wasn't fair, but Aomine had what the others didn't, and in this match, he'd be really needed.
He turned to her with a furious expression. "And why are you still protecting him?! What are you to him anyways? His babysitter?!" He shouted at her and took a step closer with each sentence.
She didn't waver and remained glued to her spot. She tried to have a truce with this third year, but Yamaoka always had the comments, always argued… He was getting on her nerves so damn much.
"Maybe I am." She shrugged with a dry chuckle. "And look… This might not be fair, but if you have a time to argue and complain… why don't you train some more to get better, huh?!" She asked coldly. "I don't remember you coming to all practises or staying over-practise. Ever. If there is anyone who could complain it's the guys who actually stay here every day. Not you." Her eyes were staring at him
"Oi, oi." Wakamatsu raised his hands in a peaceful gesture, trying to calm the atmosphere. But both ignored him.
"You little girl," Yamaoka jabbed his finger towards her and leaned down to be on eye level with her, "have no right to talk like this with your senpai. Learn where your place is already."
A vein popped on her forehead. "Well then, tell me. Where is my place in your opinion?" She asked venomously. Arguing with this idiot was below her.
"You're a mere manager. You carry water bottles and towels. Do researches. More like a maid, really." His lips twisted into a smirk. "Don't get all high just because some of them respect you for whatever reasons."
"Aomine you mean~?" Imayoshi provoked him a bit, which only earned him a glare from Susa. The captain knew that Aya was more than capable of handling herself. Still, he didn't like where this was heading. Then again… Yamaoka needed a reality check yet again.
"Oi, what are you saying?!" Wakamatsu grabbed Yamaoka's shoulder, to pull him away from Aya, just in case the third year decided to go for a slap or something.
"A mere manager, eh?" She asked quietly. It served like a slap and hurt flashed in her reddish eyes for a moment. She was doing so damn much for the bunch of boys and there he was, saying it was basically all unappreciated? "What the hell?"
But Yamaoka shrugged the center off, and smirked at the girl. "Eeeeh? Have you thought we were all friends here? In this team, we don't care about character, Sweetheart." He mockingly used the nickname Aomine had been using for so long.
She didn't hear Katsunori, as he tried to calm the situation down. She knew the Touou's team was like that. He didn't have to remind her. She was patient and composed, but even she had her limits. And right now, those limits got exceeded. Her blood boiled; it'd been a long time since someone had behaved like this towards her. She was already out of practice of how to deal with it calmly and gracefully. Or maybe she just needed to let out the steam. Her fist curled and she punched Yamaoka's stomach. He would not look down on her.
A sharp pain shot through his body as he bent forward retching.
"Now when you are at my level, listen closely." She was almost growling into his ear, her eyes burning with anger. "You know nothing about me. And I've been trying to be nice, but if you want a war… Want me to show you what it means to be my enemy, dear senpai?"
The threat sounded so real and wicked that it made his blood freeze. Kagami Aya could be scary; he'd learned that already, but that she could be this terrifying…
"STOP IT! BOTH OF YOU!" Katsunori thundered at them, because no one had been listening to him before.
Aya took a step back and opened her fist several times – giving a proper punch sure hurt. "He deserved it." She shrugged.
"That's not a reason to get violent."
"I didn't hear you helping in any away, so what did you expect? That I'll quietly listen to his insults, then smile and leave like usual. Sorry, Katsu, my patience ran out this time." She turned to leave. "Oh, and senpai?"
Yamaoka's eyes widened in surprise.
"A little advice and a warning from the 'lowlife maid'… Next time, I'll break your nose." She grabbed the said water bottles to go wash them. She stopped in the door for a moment, "Sorry guys, didn't want you to see that, but well…" She shrugged, then smiled apologetically and then left.
"And this is why we respect her. If you kept your opinions to yourself… Well…" Imayoshi said to Yamaoka with a smile and patted his shoulder. "Don't forget to come tomorrow. The match starts at five in the afternoon."
"Keh." He slapped away the captain's arm and stomped to the changing room.
Katsunori was just staring after her. He should've stepped in sooner. He'd never particularly cared about the relationships inside the team and maybe that was a mistake.
######
Aomine's phone chimed in the evening. He was out with the dogs, trying to not think about the upcoming match too much. What does Kise want again? He thought exasperatedly. But to his surprise it was a message from Aya.
'Just be there and please don't be late tomorrow. 'kay?'
True, they didn't have much time to talk in the past few days. And he hadn't shown up for any practise, so their time spent together was limited to classes only. No wonders she wrote him a message. And he didn't really mind getting a message from her.
'Don't worry. I'll be there.'
He typed back.
"HUH?! AOMINE ISN'T HERE YET?!" Satsuki shouted when she learned this fact. She was taking care of paperwork and only arrived at the changing room now.
Imayoshi sighed. "We can't reach him through his phone. He won't pick up."
"I'm sorry! I should've made sure he was here…!" Sakurai apologised immediately.
"I'll try calling him again!" She said, determined to get through to him.
"Try it if you want, but he isn't picking up at all." Aya said with a shrug. She wasn't even angry anymore, just disappointed. If he'd done it to Taiga alone, she'd swallow it without much trouble, but to Kuroko… His former shadow and a close friend. She hadn't thought Aomine would do something like this, and that's what saddened her.
"Aya-chan! I'm so sorry! I know it's important for you and he's just… Argh! He is an idiot!"
"You've got nothing to apologise for, right? Don't worry. I'll go to join Kiku and the others." She got up and headed out. "Oh, would you mind if I stop by Seirin's changing room? I'd like to see how Taiga's doing."
Imayoshi smiled at her. "Sure. We don't mind. He's your twin after all." He could see the disappointment in her eyes though she was smiling and trying her best to hide it. Maybe it would help if she could see her brother.
"Thanks, capt'n."
She left, followed closely by Satsuki who was already dialling Aomine's number. "I'm going to kill him!" The pinkette was muttering.
"Hm?" Aomine answered with a yawn, but Satsuki didn't hear him right away.
"Aya-chan! I'm sure he's on his way!" Satsuki called after her friend.
Aya looked at her over her shoulder with a half-smile; she didn't feel like pretending in front of Satsuki at the moment. "I don't really care anymore."
"Oh, crap…" Aomine mutter after overhearing Satsuki, but he couldn't hear Aya's answer. He glanced at the clock. Fuck! I overslept!
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUTSIDE?! THE MATCH IS GOING TO START! Please tell me you're on the way!" Satsuki yelled at him the moment she noticed he'd picked up.
"I'm at school. I overslept." He said hurriedly.
"What the hell are you doing at school on Saturday?!" She hissed furiously.
"Forgot my magazine… And fell asleep on the rooftop."
"Overslept?!" Imayoshi took Satsuki's phone when he came out to check with her. "Aomine! How long will it take you to get here?"
"Oh, Imayoshi? Maybe before the second half… I guess." The stadium wasn't that far away. If he hurried, he could make it in 20 minutes, more or less.
"You serious?! Our opponent is Seirin!"
"Don't get so worked up." Aomine forced an arrogant chuckle, but his heart sank. He'd failed the redhead. Again. She was probably furious. "Even twenty minutes are way too much for the small fries of Seirin. Well, work hard in the first half." He said and hung up.
"I can't handle him… And there I've thought Aya was a good influence…" Imayoshi shook his head. "We'll have to try our best in the first half without him. At least Yamaoka will shut up about not being able to start…"
######
"Hey!" Aya barged into the Seirin's changing room without knocking.
"What are you doing here?" Taiga asked her in surprise. He hadn't thought she would or could come.
"I've come to tape your leg." She said with a smile.
Taiga narrowed his eyes at her. "What's going on? Did something happen?" He asked immediately, deciphering Aya's fake smile. She could fool him if she'd tried, but she wasn't trying now.
"Aomine's not here. And god knows if he's going to show up at all…" She shrugged and a smile disappeared from her face. "What do I say? I'm so sorry guys. I've tried to nudge him to come for sure."
"Tche." Taiga felt like punching the guy. If he appears, I'll wipe the floor with him. He thought, because he hated seeing his sister dejected. "We'll win for sure. So he can mope later."
"Sure you will." She chuckled. "Now, let me tape your leg, Tai."
"It doesn't hurt. I don't need it!" He protested. "Showing up with a taped leg would make me look like a fragile idiot. I don't want them to know."
She rolled her eyes. "Taping is mainly to prevent injuries. I don't think you are fully healed, and if it reoccurs again during the match it'll be too late to tape it. Or rather… it won't help much. Why do you think I taped my feet every practise for years, huh? Still do, by the way."
"I. Don't. Need. It." He said, accentuating every single word.
"Stubborn mule." She shook her head. "Just like Tatsuya. And look where it got him."
"To Yosen." He retorted. "But! U-uh. Don't start with that." He warned her.
"Whatever. I've warned you, Taiga." She looked at Riko. "If he gets injured, force him to stay on the bench. 'kay?"
"OI! WHAT –" Taiga protested but Riko jumped in.
"He should be fine, Aya."
"I'll believe your word, Riko. Well… That's all I wanted here. Good luck guys. Go get 'em! Or us! Whatever." She cheered them with a smile and left.
"She's like a storm." Hyuuga commented.
Riko was staring at the door too. "Well… Now then."
######
"Ah, Takao-kun!" Aya waved him when she spotted him walking opposite her with his team. Well, his team minus Midorima.
"Aya-chan! Hello!"
"Who's that?" Miyaji asked immediately. "Your girlfriend?"
"No, no, no." He laughed. "It's my friend, right?"
"Right. I'm Kagami Aya." She bowed. "I'm the twin sister of the Seirin's number 10 and Touou's second manager." She gave them a wider description, so there wouldn't be any misunderstandings.
"Oh! I'm Miyaji Kiyoshi. These are the captain Ootsubo Taisuke and Kimura Shinsuke. Nice to meet you!" They all bowed to the girl, they just met.
"I know you all, of course." She smiled. "But it's nice to meet you in person."
"Who do you think is going to win?" Ootsubo asked curiously.
"Since Aomine isn't here, I can't tell for sure. Both teams have a chance." She shrugged, and before they could ask anything, she looked at Takao: "Where did you lose Shin-chan?"
"He said he didn't want to come." Takao pouted. "But Airi and Daiki are somewhere here, if I'm correct. They sure got into dating quickly."
"The big brother approved." She chuckled. "And I bet Midorima is somewhere here. I'd bet money on it."
Takao smirked at her. This could be fun. "Oh, would you?"
"What are your conditions?"
"If you find him, send me a photo and Kimura-senpai will give you pineapples from his shop –"
"Oi, why are you dragging me into this?" Kimura protested.
"So it's fun." Takao smiled. "And if you don't find him, you'll come to Shuutoku and be our one-day manager. What do you say?"
Aya pretended to think about it for a minute and then she nodded. "Deal." She shook hands with Takao. "Anyways, I'm going to my team, and then I'll look for Shin-chan. Have a nice day!"
"It was nice meeting you, Aya-chan!" Takao waved her.
"How do you know so many people?" Miyaji asked his younger teammate.
Takao shrugged. "I keep my eyes and ears open? If you try it senpai, you might even find a girlfriend. Finally~" He said teasingly and avoided a slap aimed at the back of his head.
######
She didn't think that Midorima would be already there so she headed to the rest of her team and Kiku.
"Hey. I'm here." She greeted them and slumped to her seat in the first row. "Thanks for saving me the spot."
"It's fine. So? How are things going?" Ishii asked, as they didn't go to the changing room at all. It wasn't necessary.
"Aomine's not here. And Taiga refused to have his leg taped, so… Nothing out of ordinary."
"He's not here yet?!" Kano asked with wide eyes. "But I thought he'd definitely come for this one!"
"Me too." Aya said with a sigh and looked at the court. The players just came out.
######
"They sure have a presence." Hyuuga said when they entered the court.
Taiga didn't care much. He nodded to Katsunori and Satsuki in greeting. And his eyes scanned all the players. Aya talked about her team at home, but she mainly talked about those who were in the class with her, so he had only a vague idea of how good were the second and third years.
"Uhm. Excuse me. Is Aomine coming at all?" He asked a tall blonde.
"Ah?" Wakamatsu turned to face him with a frown and then blinked in recognition. "You must be Taiga…" They sure look similar. "Well, he's late. And I don't know if he comes or not. That selfish bastard." He rumbled and shrugged. "Sorry."
"Seriously?!"
Even Kuroko wasn't happy to hear this. Most of all, he wanted to beat Aomine.
"Sorry for the inconvenience, Taiga-kun. We're a bit troubled too." Imayoshi joined the conversation. "But he should be here for the second half. We're just an opening act. Please, don't go too hard on us." He said with a sheepish smile, but he was riling them up and teasing them. He loved the stunned expressions on their faces.
######
"What strategy is Seirin going to use now?" Naito asked the redhead. She was the only one who personally knew the entire Seirin's team.
"They'll try to create a huge gap from the very beginning. They don't have much of a choice. When Aomine comes, it won't be easy at all. And they know it. Plus Taiga's angry at him, so he'll try to get as many points as he possibly can."
"But they've been researched."
"Even if Satsuki's research and intuition are outstanding, you are forgetting one thing. Players do evolve during the match, in more ways than can be predicted… And she can't predict Kuroko-kun and the data on Taiga are basically nonexistent, except those few matches." Aya shrugged. "Quite a lot unknowns in the equation, don't you think?"
"Hmmm…." Naito rubbed his chin in a deep thought. "This is definitely going to be interesting. What do you think about Meisei vs. Senshinkan?"
Aya blinked at him, she wasn't interested in that match at all. The winner was already set. "Senshinkan is the winner. Meisei's not a bad school, but they're nowhere near the kings."
"That makes Seirin a black horse, right?" Kano asked with a sparkle in his eyes.
Ishii shook his head. It was so easy to get Kano excited for something. "If they win against us, then yes. If not, then we are the black horse. Touou's become one of the top eight in the past two – three years, right? We're still relatively new."
"Basically yes." Aya nodded.
But Kano wasn't paying attention to them anymore. He and Kiku were glued to the railing, staring at Taiga and Kousuke ready to go for the tip-off. "Oh, they're gonna start!"
######
The ball was thrown and Taiga leaped up a split second later. Wakamatsu stole it for Touou. It wasn't because Wakamatsu was taller or jumped higher; Taiga just didn't have enough experience in this.
To Seirin's surprise, Touou started off with a quick attack. They caught up, but Imayoshi had his attack plan already though out and set. He passed to Sakurai without looking at the boy, who scored immediately, uttering an apology.
His shooting motion is so fast! And did he really just say 'sorry'?! Hyuuga though, watching the opposing first year in shock. As a captain, and a shooting guard, he should take it back!
All the players of Seirin were thinking that Touou was strong. They weren't underestimated. They weren't taken lightly as a new school. Even Taiga had to admit that Katsunori's team was strong. He drills them fundamentals, and Aya teaches them balance… 'f course they'd be strong!
Hyuuga sighed, as he stared at Imayoshi. "You're wicked. What did you mean when you told us not to be too hard on you, huh?!"
"Ha?" Imayoshi blinked at him. "I didn't lie though. When Aomine comes, you'll get it. Compared to him, we're nothing. Like I said, this is just an opening."
And indeed, Touou wasn't holding back in the slightest. They did what they were best at – a quick start – stealing as many points as they could. The most of their opponents couldn't handle them. And even if Seirin had their run-and-gun style, they couldn't keep up, not when they'd been researched so thoroughly.
"BRING IT ON!" Wakamatsu shouted as he stole Seirin's rebound. And with another loud yell, he threw it over the half-court to Imayoshi.
The captain caught it, with a slight difficulty; Wakamatsu's passes could be too powerful, and sighed. "Always yelling so loudly…"
Izuki ran to stop him, but failed miserably. He had no idea that Touou's captain used double clutch. "Wha– Double clutch?" He asked incredulously.
Imayoshi smiled at him. "You wanted to open the lead because Aomine is late, right? Sorry, but you must've misunderstood us. Compared to Aomine, we really are just an opening act. We alone are still stronger than you." Though I said that… He looked at the score board, but it wasn't up to his tastes. Only 10 – 4 in 4 minutes. Touou usually did better than that...
"Sorry!" Sakurai shouted as he shot another three pointer.
Crap! I can't block it! He shots at the same time as he jumps! And if you're sorry, stop attacking! Hyuuga was getting irritated by the first year he was guarding.
"Crap!" Taiga knew that the shot was going to miss, but Wakamatsu and Susa where there sooner than him, which left him too far away from the basket to get the ball once it bounced out.
"Oh no! Sorry!" Sakurai shouted at the senpais, feeling embarrassed and frightened by his failure of a shot. But Susa got the ball and scored instead.
These guys… Aya was right. Taiga thought, watching Touou play. They don't worry about their teammates, and rarely glance at them, let alone worry for them. Both the guards and the forwards play one-on-one… Every player decides the next step by himself and makes a full use of his own abilities.
"So we can still predict something…" Izuki mused. "I get it."
"Not really." Imayoshi smiled at him slyly. "Our team is different. All the members are the cream of the crop, with ability and pride. We've been through a lot. I think it's quite handy. And playing with you, a team based on cooperation, this will be interesting… Izuki-kun~"
Izuki got the ball. "Cooperation? Seirin's style has always been everybody attacking together!" He cleared for the opposing captain and got past him, using Taiga as a screen.
The ball circled almost all of the Seirin players, and it finally got to Hyuuga. He glared at Sakurai, which made the poor boy shrink back. "We don't plan on losing this. Go tell your captain that, you apologetic mushroom!"
"Huh?!" Sakurai shivered under Hyuuga's gaze. Apologetic mushroom? But I didn't say anything!
Imayoshi had the ball next. Without waiting for Izuki to catch up, he passed cross-court to Wakamatsu. "Well, let's see which is better. Teamwork vs. personal ability~" He hummed provocatively.
Izuki smirked at him. "Aren't you forgetting someone? There's someone who doesn't go at once with everyone."
Imayoshi's eyes widened as he focused on Wakamatsu again. Kuroko was already at the center's heels. What are you doing here?! Wakamatsu thought; surprised by the ghostly boy appearing at his side.
Kuroko tried to jump and get the pass. But he was way too short for that.
"Damn! Because you do something you're not used to idiot!" Taiga scolded him, and jumped to get the ball and rescue his shadow. The jump he had to make was incredible.
"HIGH!" It made Wakamatsu stare with his mouth agape.
"Good job Kagami, and Kuroko(?)" Izuki praised them and took the ball.
"What's with that wimpy jump? Don't jump if you can't catch it!" Taiga scolded Kuroko again.
"I could've gotten it." He protested.
"Lies!" He frowned at him. "That's not like you at all. It's Touou. Are you asleep?" He asked, because so far, Kuroko hadn't been active much. And they needed him if they were to succeed.
That made Kuroko smile. "But… I could've gotten it." He repeated.
"Lies!"
"Shut up!" Wakamatsu snapped at them. "Stop taunting me!"
######
"Ah well…" Katsunori pulled at his fringe. "They're indeed a formidable team. No wonders they got this far."
"Shall we call a time out?" Tada asked.
"Nah, it's not necessary. I'm just finally seeing the real thing. I'm pleasantly surprised, that's all. And besides… They were researched."
"Yep!" Satsuki said happily. "I know them all. And everyone read it. It's about time it really starts showing."
######
"Satsuki's research really is dangerous." Aya mused when Seirin started to get into trouble. They couldn't move freely, because they were being predicted. The only one, who managed to move around relatively freely and help the others, was Kuroko, and partially Taiga. "Though…"
"Kuroko-kun gets the ball and Taiga-kun scores…" Naito mused. "Pretty efficient if you ask me. But they can't rely on this for too long."
The first quarter ended with Touou in the lead 25 – 21. "The difference is small." Ishii frowned. "The score in general is. Don't we usually have around 40 points by the end of the first quarter?"
"It can't be helped. Both teams are good." Aya shrugged and stared at Taiga with a frown. It was only slight, but... Did he just limp for a moment? "The next will be… Hmmm… Seirin will focus on Taiga and Kuroko-kun. And we'll focus on stopping them, as Satsuki had the smallest amount of data on the two." She chuckled. "The same strategy…"
"I'm sooo interested. Right, Kiku-chan? It's like Wakamatsu-senpai can't handle Taiga at all."
"They are not that different when it comes to strength." Kiku pouted slightly. She considered Wakamatsu better.
Aya laughed. "True. But Wakamatsu-senpai can't jump that high. Anyways, I'm going to walk around a bit. I need to find Midorima… If he's here."
"Eh? Don't you want to watch?" Kano blinked at her.
"I will. Don't worry. And keep the spot for me please. I should be back by the end of the second quarter."
Aya got up and left. She wouldn't say it, but she couldn't watch Taiga getting injured all over again. She was disappointed in Aomine, and if she saw Taiga forcing himself, she'd be totally out of it. Well now… If I were Midorima, where would I be? She laughed inwardly at the thought. It's not like you know him…
She wandered around, listening to the ball's thumping and shoes squeaking and then the buzzer announcing a player's substitution. She didn't have to look; she knew it was Taiga being subbed out. She clenched her teeth. I've told you…
"Without Kagamicchi they can't guard the center at all! They're just too short for that." She could hear Kise's voice, and it surprised her. She glanced in the direction, thinking he was with Kasamatsu-senpai again, but to her surprise, she found Midorima standing there with the blonde.
"With the four second years, everything was analysed by Momoi. They're screwed without Kagami." Midorima said calmly, but he was kind of rooting for Seirin in this one.
"Tch… This is baaad." Kise whined.
Aya took out her phone and took a picture of the two, before they could notice her presence, and sent it over to Takao with a text 'What did I tell you?'.
"He's definitely fuming." She sighed and joined the two. "I told him to tape it before the match…"
"Ayacchi! Hello! I wondered where you were sitting. I wanted to look for you, but then I stumbled upon Midorimacchi, and stayed here."
"Hey." She smiled at both. "It's nice to see you again, Shin-chan~ Takao and the others were sad you haven't joined them… I wonder… Is it a problem if I tell them you're here?"
Midorima's eyes narrowed at her. "Don't do that."
"Ups." She chuckled. "I might already have. There were free pineapples in it."
Midorima shook his head in exasperation. "Unbelievable."
"Huh, huh? Since when do you two know each other?!"
"The prelims?" Aya asked with a shrug.
"You're an idiot." Midorima told him at the same time.
######
"The point gap is getting wider." Someone said, and it made Taiga growl, while Riko was taping his legs. He wanted to go out there, to tear Touou apart, and to get as many points as he could.
"Calm down Kagami! Trust them a bit!"
"I know! I just…"
Riko taped both of Taiga's legs, just in case. It should've been done at the beginning, like Aya had said. I'm a failure of a coach… And she even warned us! I'm sorry Aya.
"Done." She slapped Taiga's knee. "It should be fine for the match. You can go."
She didn't have to say it twice, Taiga was already tying his shoelaces and pulling off his club t-shirt, which he was wearing over his jersey. "Okay! Thanks!"
"… I'm sorry…" She said quietly. She couldn't help it.
"Eh?" Taiga turned to face the small girl (even though their coach was scary, she was still a small girl). She was still kneeling and staring at her hands helplessly.
"I really don't want to send out an injured player. But without you we have no chance to win. I know that basketball is a team sport, but… Because I'm lacking I can't bring out the best of every player. I can only rely on an injured player. I really hate myself for not being able to do anything… And Aya even told us to tape you before the match! I should've listened… I'm sorry."
"Errr… Uhm... What?" He blinked. Hearing the coach saying all that creeped him out. "My sister is on a different level entirely and besides… You do a lot as it is. You're our coach, you give us directions, take care of us, tape us up… It's a lot. You do a lot. Anyways… If you only said 'sorry', there would be no problem but…"
Riko smirked, but his words encouraged her. He is a huge puppy… "… Did you think you could impress me by saying cool stuff? Get out there! Go get 'em!"
Taiga smirked back at her. "That sounds much better! Ossu!"
So I'll have just one last minute of this quarter huh? He thought as he was about to sub in.
"Yo!" Aomine's voice sounded awfully close as the boy flung his arm around Taiga's shoulders, catching him off guard and by surprise. "You seem better. I guess I can have a little fun today!"
"…!" Taiga slapped Aomine's hand away. "Aomine!"
"Aomine-kun!" Satsuki called out to him in a scolding voice.
"Hai, hai. I'm here." He said lazily, refraining to think about the redhead sitting somewhere in the spectator's area. He couldn't think about her if was to keep his façade.
"Finally!" Imayoshi called out to him. "Hurry up and get ready to play!"
"Eh? Aren't you guys winning already? And there's only one minute left!" He protested, but then a shiver ran down his spine and he turned around to face the coach.
Katsunori glared at him with a dangerous smirk. "Get out there!" He said simply.
"Eh... I guess I have no choice…" He mumbled and took off the t-shirt he wore over his jersey.
Yamaoka glared at him as he went to sit on the bench. "So you came to please your maid?" He said as he passed by the ace.
Aomine had an urge to punch him, he didn't need the translation of whom he meant by the 'maid', but he couldn't do that on the court, so he just glared at the boy. "I'll warn you once. I'll punch you next, senpai. Keep that in mind."
Tada laughed from the bench. "Aya-chan told him the same thing yesterday!"
"Not quite. She punched him first." Someone corrected him, but Aomine wasn't paying attention to his team anymore.
"Tch…" He shook his head and looked at Kuroko. "Well then… Let's battle it out!" He calmly faced Kuroko's determined gaze. It surprised him how calm he was about it. And there he'd been worked up for the past few days. Or rather… He still didn't want to face Kuroko, but he had to do it. He came into peace with that.
His presence is like Aya's, like father's. Taiga stared at the tanned boy. He's even stronger than the opponents I faced in the States… Can I beat that? No! I can't doubt myself here. I have to beat him!
"It's been a while, Tetsu. You've been doing pretty good, eh?" He asked before he'd step onto the court and the game would continue. "You look very determined."
"Yes… I promised Momoi-chan."
Aomine smirked at that. Of course you did. "I get the gist of what you're saying, but…" Those light blue eyes were staring at him with an intensity that made him feel uneasy. But it didn't matter, he had to win. "It's a matter of action. Let's talk about it after you beat me!"
"Sure." Kuroko said calmly.
"That is… If you can do it." He said to Taiga as he got onto the court.
"You're annoying me… I'll show you!" For Aya too… Even if my muscles tear apart…
#######
"So he's here." Aya said blankly. "I wonder what he said to Taiga, because I don't like the way he looks now."
"Ayacchi…?" Kise asked carefully, feeling that something was off. "I'm sure Aominecchi had a reason to be late."
"Don't even try to defend him." She raised a hand to stop Kise. "He promised…" She said quietly staring at Aomine.
Oh… You screwed up, Aominecchi… "Uhm… You think Kagamicchi will be okay?" He tried to change the topic.
Aya laughed humourlessly. "With his leg injured again? I give it 10 minutes, and if Riko won't make him sit out, I will. I know he'd play the whole match, but I won't watch him self-destroy."
Midorima was staring between the two. He might've been dense, but Kise was behaving differently around her, and as strange as it was, the blonde actually cared, without any ulterior motive.
"Isolation…" Midorima muttered, staring at the court, where the game was starting again.
"Of course they'd use it." Aya almost rolled her eyes. "It's a game between the two top players, if Taiga loses here, it'll have a huge impact on the entire Seirin and the flow of the game… I'm going back to my boys for now. I might be back." She said, turned on her heel and headed to her spot.
######
Aomine was standing opposite Taiga in a relaxed stance. He hadn't warmed up at all. He couldn't go all out from the start, or he could injure himself. Gee'… it should be fine anyways. Not like I'll need to go all out…
In a split second he moved left, and then with a crossover he returned back and went right, confusing the hell out of Taiga and passing by him. With a smooth turnover he passed by Hyuuga, who just blinked in surprise, unable to react to his speed and jumped to dunk.
"AAARGH!" Taiga jumped up with a roar – of motivation and pain – and slapped the ball away, surprising Aomine.
"EH?" He caught up in the mere seconds after they all froze? Wait… Did he just jump all the way here?! Aomine though, completely baffled. How come that Taiga couldn't do anything when he'd challenged him back then? What changed?
"Quick attack!" Izuki ordered when he caught the ball.
"What a slow attack!" Wakamatsu retorted as they stopped Seirin's senpais. "You should've started two days ago!"
But to everyone's surprise, Kuroko got the ball, or rather, he punched it with his palm, to accelerate it and avoid anyone stealing it. It was a pass only Kagami could catch, or the generation of miracles. It was too powerful for an ordinary player.
"GO KAGAMIII!" His team cheered him up, because he was so close!
"Tche!" Aomine grunted as he caught up and slapped the ball away; though it certainly got him a fright there. To think that Kagami Taiga wouldn't be as bad as he'd thought…
Shit! I thought he was too far away! Taiga thought. He's fast!
The buzzer went off, announcing the end of the second quarter and the mid-game 10 minute break. The stats were 49 to 39 for Touou.
"Eh?" Aomine frowned. "I planned to score a few shots while getting warmed up. What the heck..." He scratched his ear staring at the Seirin's players. "Not bad, eh? Hey! After seeing you 10 points behind I thought it'd be horrible."
"Oi, Aomine!" Wakamatsu shouted at him angrily. "Play seriously! Getting blocked on your first shot…"
"What?" He sighed. "I can't play seriously right from the start."
"Damn you!"
"... But in the second half… Maybe I will." He said with his typical smirk.
######
"Are you not going to the changing room?" Ishii asked Aya, when they got up to go report what they'd seen from above, and she didn't seem willing to go.
"I don't want to see him now." She said, and everyone knew she meant Aomine. "It wouldn't end well."
Ishii nodded. "Should I pass some message?"
Aya squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. She hated doing this. "Tell them to focus on Taiga, to corner him. His legs won't hold up much longer. 10 minutes top, and then he's out." I'm a terrible sister. But she knew Riko wouldn't let her ace player self destruct; no matter how much they needed him.
"You sure you want to do that?" Kiku asked, seeing the conflict in those reddish eyes was unusual.
"Yes." She said firmly and got up. "I'll go get some air. I'll be back by the start of the third quarter."
She walked out to have a cigarette. No one in her team needed to know about her bad habit. It was the first time she felt conflicted about what to do. She'd never gone easy on her opponents, even if they were her best friends or family. She'd always felt that respecting her opponents meant not holding back, no matter what, and she hated to lose anyways. But right now…
"Haaaa… He doesn't deserve to win." She sighed as she watched the smoke being carried away by the evening's breeze.
"I thought I saw wrong the last time… But you really do smoke." Kise's voice disturbed her thoughts and startled her.
"Don't scare me like that, Model-kun."
"Ah, sorry Ayacchi. I didn't mean to startle you." He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. And then he smiled at her with an understanding in his yellow eyes. All of his goofiness was gone. "I get what you're thinking."
She shrugged. "I don't really want to talk." The tip of the cigarette burned bright red as she inhaled the nicotine.
Kise watched her in curiosity. "Why do you smoke anyways? You do sports… did professionally, so…"
"It calms me down. I don't really remember how it started…" She shrugged.
They were quiet for a moment. He leaned against the wall next to her and stared into nowhere. For some reason, he didn't want her to feel down. In the short time they knew each other, she'd become his dear friend.
"Kagamicchi's gonna lose, right?" He asked sadly. He wanted to believe the opposite, really, but…
"I guess so. And for the first time, I wish he'd really, really win. Aomine doesn't deserve to win this one. Not after coming late." She took out the cigarette against a litter bin. "Instead of being late, he rather shouldn't have come at all." She said resentfully.
"I think he regrets it, Ayacchi. I don't think he did it intentionally."
"And yet he did… I talked with him about this before, Kise, I'm not gonna repeat myself."
"So you won't forgive him?"
"Urgh… I haven't said that. I'm not that angry, okay?! I'm just disappointed. I thought better about him. I thought he understood what it meant to respect someone. And he'd just…" She threw her arms up desperately. She wanted another cigarette, but she didn't have enough time. "I guess I was wrong. And stop always defending him. You'd be pissed off if he was late to a match against you, wouldn't you?"
A vein popped on Kise's forehead at the thought. "I'd kill him for that."
"Pffft…" She laughed at his expression. "I didn't know you could make a face like that."
He grinned at her. Mission accomplished. It was strange seeing the redhead sad. She was so good at finding little things to smile for, and a smile suited her more. He wondered if Aominecchi had ever seen her dejected like this.
"We should head back, if we want to see the match."
######
Touou's changing room:
"Ryou, did you bring what I asked of you?" Aomine asked the shorter boy with a rather scary expression.
"Y-yes!" Sakurai answered timidly, and took out the honey soaked lemons.
Aomine gobbled up half of it. "Mhm… They taste good!"
"AOMINE, you weren't in the match more than a minute! Why do you even need the energy supplement?!" Wakamatsu shouted at him. "And Sakurai! Why are you making food for him?! You're not his manager! Pass it here! I'm the tired one!" He snatched the food from Sakurai, and started gobbling it up just like Aomine. "Tastes good!" He praised, then turned to Aomine and added: "And nothing more for you!"
"I've had enough…" Aomine said lazily.
"WHAT?!"
"Oi! Don't gobble the lemons like that! We want some too!" Imayoshi scolded his vice-captain.
"It's okay – I prepared everyone's share!" Satsuki said with a smile and took out her box. She'd tried, really…
"Nice, thanks!" Imayoshi smiled at her. There was nothing to mess up with honey soaked lemons, right?
He paled when he looked at it. Satsuki didn't slice the lemons at all… "Oi, Sakurai! Do you have some more?"
"I'm sorry… It's all."
"Oh, Satsuki can't even make a proper tea, you know?" Aomine said unimpressed by the pinkette's fail. That's why he asked Sakurai after all.
"This isn't even cooking! What's with the whole lemons?!" Several guys protested at once.
"What?" Satsuki was dejected, but… I should've expected this… She sighed, not knowing that the same scene was happening in the Seirin's changing room.
"I've made some too." Kiku peeped up when she and the others walked into the changing room. "I've brought Aya's share too. We have plenty lemons, if you want." She said with a smile and handed over the two boxes she carried.
"An angel!" Imayoshi sang and it made Kiku blush and look away.
"Oi!" Wakamatsu scolded the captain.
Katsunori was just shaking his head at the ruckus over the lemons. He clapped to get their attention. "Listen up! It's too early to relax. They're not willing to give this up, so in the second half –"
"Just pass the ball to me!" Aomine interrupted him. He was surprised that Kagami wasn't there, she'd never ditch on them like this, and he had a bad feeling it was his fault. No, it was certainly his fault. "I'll go warm up a little." He said and turned on his heel to leave.
"Oi, WAIT!" Wakamatsu stopped him.
"What? I'll score all the points we need. That's enough, right?" He said cockily, but the usual bored undertone was missing. And Imayoshi wasn't the only one who noticed, he stared at their ace perplexedly.
"Damn you!"
"… Aomine…" Katsunori sighed. "I'm glad to see that you know what your role is, but…" He looked at the boys who came from the spectator's area. "Anything interesting?"
Ishii shrugged and glared at Aomine. He thought they were past the antagonism, but… "Not really."
"Did Aya say anything?" Katsunori asked with a raised eyebrow, because he knew there must've been something. "Where is she anyways?"
Ishii sighed. "She went to get some air, I guess. She said to corner Taiga, because his legs are still hurt. She said he had like 10 minutes top and he'd be out."
Katsunori nodded. "I thought so. But I needed a confirmation. She knows Taiga better than anyone." He pulled at his fringe, hoping that Seirin's coach was mature enough and wouldn't let his godkid self-destruct. "Okay then. We'll go with Aomine as the game maker. Go warm up now!"
"Haaaai!" Aomine said and left.
Satsuki ran after him, leaving the rest of the team to argue it out with the coach. "Aomine! To be late for an important match like this! What were you thinking?! Our opponent is Tetsu's team! You've got to –"
"Shut up!" He interrupted her harshly, not turning to face her. "I know! I'm regretting it already. I've misjudged them." He said, stretching his arms.
"Eh?" Satsuki blinked at him. What?
"I should've come earlier." Good she didn't come here… I don't think I could face those eyes of hers now…
######
Seirin decided to go with Kagami as the game maker. Kuroko had to sit out, though it'd been a hard fight to persuade him to stay on the bench.
"Kagami-kun." Kuroko came to talk with his light when they were re-entering the court.
"Hm? You cooled your head now?"
"Yes. Anyways, I haven't met him for some time, but he looks like he's improved a lot, just like Kise-kun and Midorima-kun. I have no idea what will happen next. So, please, be careful."
"Huh?" Taiga smirked. "It's nice to hear that from you."
Without a single word, Aomine got all the attention, once he strolled onto the court all warmed up, with a dangerous aura surrounding him.
This time he's serious. "Yo!" Taiga smirked. "Done with warming up?"
"Heh, resist until the last second – if you can!"
A/N: I know this chapter was a bit grim (next one is gonna be in similar atmosphere), but that's how it's supposed to be. I hope I didn't overdo Aya/Yamaoka conflict... And ah well... I hope I didn't overdo it in general.
Anyways, let me know what you think and remember, reviews are appreciated but never necessary.
-S.