Edited 11.03.2021


Dealings of Devils

The smell of coffee is supposed to help you wake up. Hana read it in an article once— something about stirring the brain cells. The large cup in front of her was, unfortunately, doing just that. The inky goodness nestled in the mug was calling her to take a sip of it, but Hana remained firm. She would not admit defeat.

In the seat parallel to hers, her father was doing the same. He had his own cup of the delicious liquid but was watching her with a blank face. She liked to refer to it as the "oh shit, you've messed up" face. His nose twitched and heavy eyebrows furrowed over suspiciously calm eyes. Finally, a weathered hand reached out to take the cup.

"So," he took a slow sip, "Want to explain to me why a dog is laying on my couch?"

Hana did not in fact want to explain. She felt like the explanation was clear enough since the dog was well, here. What else could she say? All the evidence pointed at her, including the now broken table wear on the floor. Her hand twitched to take the cup of coffee in the stifling silence, but she held firm.

"He's cute?" Hana offered, "You know I like dogs."

Her father's eyebrows quirked up in an unimpressed fashion, "Most kids ask permission before they bring an unknown animal into their parent's house."

Okay, so joking around wouldn't work this time. Time to get serious and pull out the guilt card, "Remember Chibi? I loved him and Momma took him with her. I wanted another friend."

"Chibi was a five-pound Chihuahua. That," he motioned toward Nūdoru, "Is at least a hundred pounds of dog."

"A hundred pounds of love," Hana countered.

"Hana."

"Okay, okay. Think about it from a different perspective. We have a guard dog now!"

"He can't even see," her father deadpanned. Nūdoru's head had popped up from behind the couch and he watched the interaction with a slobbery grin. Hana winced as a large drop of drool landed on the upholstery. Across from her, her father twitched and downed another gulp of coffee.

"Exactly! It's our civic duty to take care of those in need. I think he matches the description well," Hana tried to smile, but she couldn't fool her dad.

His hand came up to pinch his nose, "Can you take anything seriously?"

"Yes," she countered with a sheepish frown, "I really do miss Chibi and Nūdoru is a sweet dog underneath all that mess."

"Nūdoru? I've failed you. What a terrible name," he snorted before his face straightened back out, "You aren't going to take no for an answer, are you?"

"If it's a firm no, I might consider it. But right now, no," Hana admitted. Honesty was the best policy with her father. Besides, she didn't like to lie to him. It made her feel all squirmy inside.

"Hana," her father groaned and laid a hand across his forehead, "You do realize you're in trouble right now?"

Wincing at his tone, Hana nodded. Her voice came out softly, "Yeah, but I'll accept any punishment you give me if I can keep him."

"Any punishment?" What's with that tone?

"Maybe…" Hana frowned at him, "What are you thinking?"

"I've lost one of my kitchen staff last week and the kitchens been a bit understaffed," her father hedged with a smirk, "We need a good janitor to help clean up the mess."

Hana blanched, "Cleaning?"

"Cleaning," her father nodded decidedly, "If you give me your word you'll come to the shop and clean it every other day, I'll let you keep him."

"But…" A glance at the slobbery dog, "Gah, fine."

Letting out a contented hum, her father finished up his coffee, "You've got to feed him and bathe him too. Shouldn't have a problem walking him but you're going to have to get used to cleaning up after him. I doubt he's house trained," he looked to Nūdoru contemplatively, "And I bet a huge dog like that comes with a lot of poop."

Woof!

Hana's face planted itself on the table and she let out a long whine. Her father released a bellowing laugh, "You should probably go give him a bath before you leave for class. If I have to put up with him, he better be clean."

"Daaaaaaad," Hana groaned into the wood. Her hand snaked out to grab the lukewarm coffee and she let out a sigh as the warmth seeped into her palm.

"Go on, get to it," he ordered as he stood up to put his cup in the sink. She groaned into the table once again for good measure.

"Blah," Hana reluctantly got out of her chair and stood, looking to Nūdoru for help. He offered her a happy whine before jumping right over the freaking couch, "Don't do that!"

Her dad snorted in the background, "Have fun."

Glaring at her father, Hana pointed a finger at Nūdoru, "Come on, boy. We need to go upstairs."

The dog practically bounced its way toward where he assumed the staircase was. Too bad he'd gone the opposite direction. Hana sighed, "Wrong way."

His big body spun around at the sound of her voice and he came to her side, plopping on his butt in confusion. Hana reached a hand out to rest on his body and pushed him toward the staircase. As soon as his large paws touched the first stair, he flung himself up the rest of them. This action resulted in a symphony of loud thuds and scratching noises.

"No! Calm down, Nūdoru!"

xXx

A content doggy smile sat on his Nūdoru's face. Hana had shoved him into the bathtub and loaded it up with plenty amounts of bubble bath. Now, the happy dog was situated in a humongous pile of bubbles that covered him from head to toe. The surrounding water was a disgusting brown color, but the dog didn't seem to care.

"I need to get you a collar," Hana mused as she rubbed the soap into his back, "What size are you anyway? Extra, extra-large?"

Her new pet offered a woof which Hana took as a yes. So, she'd need a collar, leash, food, and dog shampoo. What else? He'd probably have to go to the vet. Which meant money. And where was he going to sleep? This was turning out to be a lot like having a kid. A giant, four-legged beast of a kid.

"You know, I mentioned wanting a bodyguard. Maybe the fates heard my plea," she grimaced at the mud on her hands, "You better hope this is dirt, pup."

Nūdoru tilted his head at her voice and Hana giggled at the pile of bubbles that fell into his face. He gave a put-out huff before his body tensed. Hana had a feeling she knew where this was going. She opened her mouth in a shout, "Don't—"

He shook his massive body, sending a barrage of soap bubbles, mud, and other various things around the room. Of course, Hana was also included in his assault. Closing her eyes and slowly rubbing the mess of her face, Hana sighed, "Do that."

Nūdoru woofed in happiness at his now suds free body, but a glance around her tiny bathroom had Hana groaning in defeat. There wasn't a single speck left clean.

It's too early for this.

xXxXxXx

She had her uniform on. She had her container of coffee ready. She'd done all her homework. She even made herself a cute-looking bento for lunch. The only problem with this picture was the beast at her feet. Nūdoru seemed to be under the impression that he was going to school too. Which was a bad idea all around.

"Aw, you two are so cute," Her father cooed, "Don't move, I need to get a picture of this. Your mom's going to love it."

Hana shot her father a glare but remained still. Below her, Nūdoru woofed at her father and wagged his tail in happiness. She'd tied a ribbon around his neck as a make-shift collar and the pup seemed to love it. Figures.

A flash and a clicking sound distracted her from her survey. Her dad had snuck back into the room and took the chance to take a surprise picture. The large camera covered half his face, but Hana could still see the large grin that stretched his cheeks. Another flash later and he chuckled, "This is just too adorable."

"Dad," Hana deadpanned, "School?"

"Oh, fine," he clicked the camera again, "I'm done. What time are you going to be home tonight?"

"Er, I don't know? I need to go buy him some stuff, so it might be late again."

As he looked at the photos he took, her father tutted, "Be careful. Now go. You'll be late."

Rolling her eyes in exasperation, like he's not the reason I'm running late, Hana shouted her father a hurried goodbye and headed out the door. Nūdoru trotted along beside her. As she opened the door and stepped outside, Hana knelt on the ground to tie her shoelaces tighter. She was going to have to hurry to get there on time.

"I should get you a saddle," Hana joked to Nūdoru. She could see it now— the masses of people moving out of her way as she rode in on her demon steed. People cowering in fear of her awesome power. A timely headbutt knocked her out of her fantasies and she pouted down at her new pet. Hana huffed, "No fun."

The walk was quick. Which was mostly Nūdoru's fault. He'd get excited at all the noises and smells around them before darting off and Hana would have to race after him. Thankfully, he tended to stay on the correct pathway and Hana only had to turn him around once. For a blind dog, he could navigate unnaturally well. She attributed it to his previous status as a stray.

They were now standing in front of the gateway and Hana realized how much of a problem this was going to be. She could not bring Nūdoru into school. Hell, she probably shouldn't have even brought him to the front gates. Teiko was all about their reputation after all.

"So," she trailed off and looked at Nūdoru, "You think you can handle being by yourself for a few hours?"

He gave her a miserable look and whined at the thought. Hana felt her guilt creep up and apologized, "I'm sorry. I didn't think this through. But I know you can handle it—you've been through worse, right? Besides, I'll come to get you before practice and sneak you in or something."

His face perked up at that and Hana snorted at the human-like expression, "I'll even save you some of my lunch. Do we have a deal?"

Woof. Hana smiled at his bark and patted his head, "I'm glad we could work this out. I think we're going to have a beautiful relationship. Now I'll see you soon, okay?"

Nūdoru's head butted her before making his way over to the nearest tree and plopping down on his stomach. Sleepy eyes were directed at her and he let out a yawn before they slipped closed. Grinning at his antics, Hana let out a startled laugh, "That works, I guess."

Shooting Nūdoru one last look, Hana turned back to the overwhelming building in front of her and made her way to the entrance. There was a suspicious lack of students outside and Hana's thoughts turned worried. I better not be late.

She was very late. Thirty minutes to be precise.

Oppsies.

xXx

The strangest thing happened at lunch. On a scale of one to ten, this ranked a definite nine. Hana's green eyes narrowed on the five people who had magically sat at her outdoor space. Where's Uoya when I need him? Out of all the surprise guests, Kuroko was the only one to notice her gaze and shot her a questioning look. Hana frowned at him in thought.

"Yes?" Kuroko questioned as he bit into his food. His other teammates continued to chatter amongst themselves, oblivious to Hana's look.

"Why are you here?" Hana spoke, jumping right to the point.

"Friends eat lunch together, do they not?" Kuroko questioned in turn. His blue eyes blinked at her, "You don't mind, do you?"

"I'm finding that yes, I kind of do," Hana admitted unashamedly. She saw Kuroko's mouth tick upwards and continued, "I'm mostly concerned how you're all in the same place without the remainders."

Kuroko raised delicate eyebrows, "The remainders?"

"You know, the other two," Hana explained with a waved chopstick. Kuroko eyed the sharp implement warily and Hana suspected Kise had informed him about her past threat.

"Be sure you don't refer to either Akashi-kun or Murasakibara-kun as remainders," Kuroko advised. Hana could see his point; that wouldn't end well for either party. Akashi would demand divine retribution and Murasakibara would eat her alive.

"Got it," she nodded before pointing her chopstick at Kuroko's forehead, "But why are you here?"

"Kise-kun," Kuroko explained as if that answered everything. Which it kind of did.

"Of course. But why would Kise want to see me?"

"Shouldn't that be a question you ask him, Imamura-chan?"

"Yes, but I don't want to because then he'll start talking and never shut up," Hana admitted.

Kuroko offered another twitch of the lips, but it was the snort in the background that informed her of other listeners. Hana glanced to the right of Kuroko and nodded at Midorima in acknowledgment. That had been the first noise he'd made since arriving. Success.

The prickly boy offered her a nod in return, "Good afternoon, Imamura-san."

"Hey there, Midorima-san. How'd Kise force you into this?" Hana questioned. Probably stole his lucky item or something.

"Midorima-kun came out of his own will," Kuroko answered for him. Beside him, the green-haired boy erupted into a volcanic blush— the heat from his cheeks even steaming his glasses up.

Midorima turned to Kuroko stiffly, "Kuroko," Midorima growled. The aforementioned boy remained unconcerned and continued to eat his lunch. A taped hand came up to pinch his nose and Midorima sighed, "I was curious to see if your luck improved."

Well, that makes sense. Hana figured. Thinking back on the events of yesterday, she paused before speaking, "Yeah, it was alright. I got a dog."

Honestly, out of all the things she's said, she didn't think this little grouping of people would react so strongly to one statement. Midorima looked mildly disgusted, Kuroko looked intrigued, Kise looked excited, but Aomine and Momoi both adopted exasperated expressions. Now all the attention was on her and Hana felt like the star of the show. She hated it.

Momoi spoke first. Her tone was a slow deliberate thing, "You got a dog?"

"Yeah," Hana nodded and poked at her food to avoid making eye contact, "He kind of showed up at my house; couldn't turn him away."

This time Aomine spoke next. His voice was a low grumble and Hana tried to prepare for the resulting argument, "What's his name?"

She winced, "…Nūdoru."

"You didn't," Aomine groaned as he stared at her. His eyes drifted up to the sky and he sighed, "You did, dammit."

"The dog from yesterday?" Momoi questioned. Her pink eyes were wide in surprise, but Hana saw the smirk tugging at her lips and pouted.

"Yes, the dog from yesterday," Hana admitted bashfully, "Look, he followed me home! You should have seen him! He gave me back the pin and everything, I couldn't just leave him."

Kise and Kuroko watched the exchange with curious eyes. Beside them, Midorima frowned. Imamura mentioned a pin. Had she given the pin he'd gifted her to a dog? His eyes narrowed behind his glasses, "Are you referring to your lucky item from yesterday?"

"Oh, shit," Hana coughed into her palm. She should have realized Midorima would remember that. With a guilty shrug, Hana tried to explain, "I didn't want to give it to him! But this little girl stole it and it smelled like candy and he wanted it. At least he didn't bite me!"

A simultaneous blank look spread across the faces of Kuroko, Kise, and Midorima. Aomine took it upon himself to explain, "This idiot," he motioned to Hana, "Decided to pet a pissed-off dog. She's lucky she didn't die."

"Nūdoru wouldn't have hurt me," Hana frowned at Aomine contritely. His eyes turned into silts when he heard the name.

"Tell me you didn't seriously call him that," Aomine demanded. At his left, Momoi giggled. Of course, she did, Aomine-kun.

"He likes it," Hana stated and when Aomine opened his mouth again, she continued, "Don't start! We are not having the conversation again! Your name was even worse!"

"You called him noodle! Where'd that even come from?!" It seemed he wasn't going to drop it that easily.

Hana hastened to explain, "Momoi-san and I were eating ramen, before you oh so rudely, interrupted us. Hence the noodle."

"That's terrible! God, you—" Aomine started but Kise cut him off with a whine.

"Awhh, you hung out with Aomine-cchi and Momoi-cchi and didn't invite me?" Kise pouted at her as he laid his cheek on his palm. Despite his pout, his eyes were smiling in amusement.

"I don't plan this!" Hana defended. "I didn't plan any of this!"

Kuroko and Midorima were silent during the exchange; Kuroko silent due to his contemplation while Midorima still irked over Hana's mistreatment of her lucky item. Meanwhile, Hana was experiencing the overwhelming feeling of being surrounded. She eyed the exit greedily.

Catching onto Hana's change, Kuroko spoke, "So you have a dog now?"

"Yeah," Hana silently praised Kuroko's insightfulness, "My dad let me keep him. In fact, he's outside right now."

Five pairs of eyes blinked at her. Coughing into his hand, Midorima spoke, "You brought it to school?"

"No," Hana paused, "Okay not technically. He's outside the gates."

"You've got to be kidding me," Aomine droned as he stared at her.

"Don't act so superior!" Hana snapped at him, "I can bring my dog wherever I want."

"… You really can't," Kise offered unhelpfully from the side.

"You hush," Hana pointed at him. Kise offered her a sly smirk but did in fact shut his mouth.

Aomine grunted in irritation before shoving more food into his mouth. That left Momoi to break the silence, "So your dad didn't mind?"

"Oh, he did," Hana admitted, "But we figured it out."

"I'd like to meet him," Kuroko offered. It seemed to be a good way to bond with his newest acquaintance who in turn shot him a grateful smile. Kuroko is my favorite; always knows the right things to say.

"If I see you after school you can meet him," Hana responded.

"Oh!" Kise chimed in, "I want to meet him too!"

"... Of course you do," Hana deadpanned. She hadn't missed Kise's smirk.

Meanwhile, Midorima was still frowning. He questioned Hana, "What'd you do with the pin?"

You know when you're talking to a bunch of people at once, you kind of lose track of yourself? That's what Hana had been feeling for the entirety of this exchange. So, without thinking properly, Hana responded, "I framed it."

The silence that echoed around the small table was deafening. Kise and Aomine looked horrified. Momoi's sneaky grin stretched across her face, mischief dancing in the sheen of her knowing gaze. Kuroko had a very mild expression of shock and the final person, Midorima, smugly shifted his mouth.

None of his teammates took his horoscopes seriously; it felt overpoweringly nice to have someone put so much into something he'd given them. Especially an Oha-Asa approved item.

A blush made its way up to her ears as Hana tried to clarify, "I… just uhm, it was pretty?"

It was the sudden dinging of the bell that saved her. Gathering her stuff and shoving a ridiculous amount of food down her throat, Hana thanked whichever god listened to her. Offering an obnoxiously sunny smile to everyone present, Hana darted from her seat as fast as she could. Pride be damned!

As Hana vanished, Momoi sighed at the breeze of wind that passed before frowning at Hana's vacant seat with a sense of déjà vu. "What's that?" Pink eyes locked onto a black cell phone sitting on the lunch table, "Is that one of your phones?"

"No," Kuroko answered, "I believe that's Imamura-chan's."

"Oh, really?" Kise drawled and slunk over to the abandoned phone. His hand was about to grab it when Aomine snatched it away. He boy offered him a scowl.

"What the hell are you planning?" Aomine demanded at the blonde. Another hand quickly snatched it out of his own. Everyone's eyes turn to Midorima who was examining it thoughtfully.

The shooter quirked a brow at his audience, "None of you fools need this. Someone trustworthy should hold onto it."

"And that's you?" Aomine questioned. During the commotion, Momoi had vacated her seat and moved toward Kuroko. The ghost player offered her a nod before subtly stealing Hana's phone out of Midorima's hand without notice. Momoi giggled. Good job, Tetsu-kun!

"Of course it's me," Midorima countered, "Who would trust buffoons with something important?"

"I just wanted to put my number in there Midorima-cchi!" Kise pouted at his friend, "Please?"

"No!" Midorima pushed his glasses up, "I'll return it to her after class."

"Like hell you will," Aomine drawled, "Just give it back to me. I'll do it."

Meanwhile, Kuroko nudged Momoi, and sharing a silent communication, they both left the table. Kuroko pocketed Hana's phone as he left. Momoi latched onto Kuroko's arm and practically skipped out of the cafeteria. Testu-kun's sneaky side is so much fun.

In the courtyard, the three other basketball players remained unknowingly at the table. They were still engaged in a debate over the proper person to hold the phone. Even if the said phone was now missing.

"Midorima-cchi! I won't do anything bad!"

"You've got a crush on her don't you, Midorima?"

"Shut up! The both of you!"

xXx

The fact she hadn't noticed the missing presence of her cell phone had to say something about Hana's social life. She'd gone through the rest of the school day without a clue and by the time she arrived at mathematics, she'd still hadn't noticed. Good thing the fates had gifted her Kuroko.

For once, Hana was the first one to class. Green eyes flicked around the empty classroom in surprise. She kept expecting to see Kuroko appear at her side, but no such luck. One by one, her classmates began to trickle into the room.

Hana watched them all with a dull look. She knew their names, of course, but she didn't care for them. Since most of her time was spent in the gymnasium, Hana had never developed a social streak. Not counting the unwanted pals I've acquired.

Kuramoto-sensei was the last to arrive. He bustled into the room with flushed cheeks and Hana recalled the rumor about his affair with the art teacher. She had thought it was a stupid rumor, but maybe it had some truth to it. As the teacher hurried to his chair, Hana looked to her side again. Still no Kuroko.

"Okay, I'll be taking roll and then we will spend today introducing the next chapter," Kuramoto-sensei began, "Adachi Izo?"

"Present."

"Araki Manami?"

The following student's answer was interrupted by Hana's scream. One second, Kuroko wasn't there. The next second, there the little shit was. Everyone else in the classroom jumped, including the now present Kuroko. His wide eyes stared at Hana in wonder; he'd never met someone who reacted so loudly to his appearance without fail.

Kuramoto-sensei coughed to cover his squeal and gave Hana a grimace, "Everything okay, Imamura-san?"

With her heart beating out of her chest, Hana fabricated an answer, "Spider."

"Of course there was," her teacher sighed, "Okay, now that we all know Imamura-san's here. Let's continue."

As the teacher continued down the roll sheet, Kuroko twisted his body toward hers. His eyes had reduced back to their normal size, but he still had his eyebrows lifted incredulously. With a tinge of amusement, he spoke, "I apologize for startling you. I would have thought you'd grown used to my appearances by now."

"Nope," Hana mumbled, "I'm going to get you a bell though. This is getting ridiculous."

"I'd have to agree," Kuroko spoke. His hand went into his pocket and fiddled with the phone thoughtfully, "Your reactions are amusing though."

"More like humiliating," Hana faced him with a pout. In a rare act of deviousness, Kuroko wanted to laugh at how put-out she appeared.

Retrieving her phone, Kuroko handed it to her, "You left this at the table today."

Hana blinked at the innocent-looking phone. She blinked again. Then, her face paled, "Please tell me you didn't let anyone look through it."

"No," Kuroko confirmed, "Though Momoi-san had it for a bit. She told me she was putting her number into your contacts, but I didn't observe."

Oh shit. Hana didn't want to think about the possibilities. Momoi-san was the data gatherer, after all. Her phone didn't have much information to be used against her, but there was one thing. On her home screen, she'd bookmarked several somewhat risqué romance novels to be read later.

"No need to look so worried, Imamura-chan," Kuroko spoke at her silence. Eyeing the phone thoughtfully, he continued, "I made sure she didn't share your number with anyone."

"Thank you," Hana breathed out in relief. Beside her, Kuroko was radiating unspoken laughter and it made Hana pause. She flitted wary green eyes over to him, "You didn't go through it, right?"

"I may have accidentally ventured into your private information," Kuroko admitted without shame, "I enjoyed the story of the princess and the assassin. It was very well written."

Do you hear that ripping sound? That was the sound of Hana's last shreds of dignity. As they floated away from her body, Hana was in a state of shock. Her limbs had turned to stone and she stared at Kuroko, horrified. It's always the innocent ones…

Unbeknownst to Hana's situation, Kuroko continued, "Although, the plot was quite lacking. The build-up to the relationship did not match the time until the characters became intimate— Imamura-chan?"

Hana laid in a heap of defeat on her desk. Green eyes were closed in shame and her blush was spreading all the way to her toes. Kuroko poked at her head with a pencil, causing a depressed whine to escape. He poked at her head again, but Hana couldn't find it in herself to care. This team is going to kill me. I'll never be able to face the light of day again.

xXx

For the rest of the week, the five miracles would occasionally sit with her at lunch.

It had grown to be normal, yet Hana still wondered what Akashi and Murasakibara thought about all this. Another strange thing she noticed was that the miracles would only appear if Uoya was sitting elsewhere. She couldn't grasp the reason for this. Kuroko and Kise had seemed to get on well enough with him.

Maybe they just wanted to keep the two teams separate? But that doesn't explain why they talk to me.

Hana was still trying to find an explanation as she worked on her notebook. Uoya lay across from her on her fluffy blue comforter while Nūdoru was sprawled out on top of the sixth year. If Hana were to be honest, it was kind of cute. Circling a foreign player's name, Hana looked up at her younger friend.

"Hypothetically speaking," Hana began, "What are the classifications of a stalker?"

"…They aren't stalking you," Uoya deadpanned as he scratched Nūdoru's ear.

The two had a shaky start at the beginning. Uoya had screamed, which had made Nūdoru go crazy, which had made Uoya run and it all had ended when Nūdoru had tackled him to the ground and licked him head to two. Now, Nūdoru seemed to have claimed the sixth year as his personal servant.

"Okay, they might not be stalking me individually. But maybe Akashi ordered them too? Like a mafia group; they go undercover as my friends and wring out all my secrets."

"If Akashi-san cared that much about your supposed secrets he'd find you himself."

"Uoya! Don't say that! You're going to jinx me!"

Uoya laughed at her panic, "Hana-chan, calm down. You've been riled up all day."

"You would be too," She countered and slammed her notebook shut, "I just want to know what they're thinking."

"Maybe they just want to be your friend? Ever think about that?"

"Yes, that was my first option but it's too easy of an answer," Hana replied.

She considered them all somewhat friends, but she wasn't sure they shared the sentiment. Kuroko and Momoi maybe, but the other three she couldn't understand. They were strong people. They hung out with strong people. Hana was not a strong person. Simple mathematics.

"Sometimes the simple answer is the truest one," Uoya mused. Nūdoru whined in agreement.

"Okay, Yoda," Hana grumped, "Thank you for your sagely advice. Why aren't you getting dressed?"

"... I told you I'm not wearing a dress."

"But you're going to the game with me. Which means they can recognize you," Hana tried to instill her point, "Which will mean that they recognize me."

"I can just stay here?" Uoya offered, "I'll walk Nūdoru."

Oh, no you don't. Hana narrowed her eyes on Uoya. She forced her voice into a threatening pitch, "Do not make me drag you."

"But, Hanaaa-chan, I don't want to go."

So, threats aren't working today, she mused. Cue the weepy eyes, "Please, Uoya-kun?"

Hana watched Uoya's body tense up and smirked. He'd always been a sucker for tears. Unfortunately, it seemed his resolve to not go to the game outweighed his weakness, "Hana-chan, I really don't want to go. The game's already been determined."

"Hey now, you never know! Maybe some team will come in and kick their asses," Hana tried to persuade him.

Uoya raised an incredulous eyebrow, "What is with you? You sound excited?"

Huffing, Hana turned back to her friend. Her tone was indignant, "I am! Okay look at it this way," she flapped her right hand, "Before all my notes were based on speculation. But now I have a true idea of most of their personalities, and if I combine that with how they play, I can record their statistics accurately."

"Has anyone told you your kind of scary?" Uoya questioned after she finished talking, "Besides, aren't you friends with them? Why would you do that?"

"I can be friends and rivals with someone at the same time," Hana explained before continuing, "And yes, you call me terrifying several times a day."

"Rivalry doesn't equate with friendship," Uoya droned before grimacing at the large drool stain on his pants, "You need to get him a bib."

Stretching her hands over her head, Hana snapped back at him as she went to the bathroom, "You do it. You're watching him tonight."

"Wait! Does that mean you aren't making me go?"

"You owe me," and with that Hana slammed the bathroom door shut behind her. Uoya looked to Nūdoru and the two shared excited grins. Grabbing his large paw, Uoya held it up for a high five.

"We're home free, buddy!" Uoya crowed. Hearing his excitement, Nūdoru tackled him onto the bed and attacked his face with his tongue. Uoya squealed in disgust and tried to get away, but he was no match for the large dog. He was beginning to regret his decision, "Hana-chan!"

"Too late!" Hana replied as she turned the shower on.

Uoya let out a regretful moan and tried to push the large dog off him, but Nūdoru wouldn't budge. Giving him an annoyed glare, Uoya gave up before pulling out his phone and muttering to himself, "This sucks."

Time passed slowly. Well, slowly for Uoya. Hana hadn't gotten out of the shower and he was still being smothered by the giant dog. On the other end of the spectrum, time was passing far too quickly for Hana. Her shower felt so good on her sore muscles that she couldn't convince herself to get out.

Hearing the water still running, Uoya raised an eyebrow. He glanced toward the clock on his phone before blanching. Doesn't the game start at seven?

"Hey," he yelled to Hana and hoped she could hear him over the water, "When does the game start?"

"Seven!" her voice replied.

"It's six forty-five!" The water shut off right away and Uoya winced at the stream of cursing flying out of his friend's mouth. The door slammed open and Hana emerged in a towel with the angriest face he'd ever had the horror of seeing.

"Why didn't you get me earlier!" Hana threw her hairbrush at him before scurrying to her closet, "It's a twenty-minute walk!"

"Sorry!" Uoya, for once, was thankful for the large dog sitting on him as it meant Hana hadn't aimed the brush at his head.

Staring at her closet in dismay, Hana realized she had nothing to wear that would hide her identity. She settled for a pair of pants and a very large sweatshirt. At least she could hide her legs. Closing the door of the closet behind her, Hana dropped the towel and speed changed. Snagging a stray pair of converse off the floor, Hana hopped out of the closet and simultaneously pulled the shoes on.

"You look like a guy," Uoya offered when she stepped out. Which was good, because that was exactly what she was going for. It wasn't that hard with her severe lack of squishy chest tissue but her long hair was going to be a problem. She couldn't wear the hood inside the building without drawing unneeded attention to herself.

"Do you have a beanie?" Hana questioned hurriedly as she rushed back to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

"It's May," Uoya deadpanned, "So, no I do not."

"A hat?" Hana yelled back around her mouthful of toothpaste.

Uoya paused to think before a lightbulb went off, "Backpack!"

"Thank you!" Hana darted out of the bathroom and scooped up her bag. Giving Nūdoru a kiss on the top of his head, Hana shouted over her shoulder as she left, "Take good care of him!"

With the house now silent, Uoya blinked up at the dog on top of him. He narrowed his brown eyes, "Off."

Nūdoru didn't move. Uoya groaned.

xXx

By the time she got to Teiko, the game had already started. The outside of the stadium was deserted which Hana was thankful for. Now she could sneak in without anyone noticing. If you're anyone other than Hana, you'd probably be wondering why she was putting so much trouble into staying hidden.

The simple answer was, well, there wasn't a simple answer.

It boiled down to friendship. Sort of. She didn't think any of the miracles were aware of her going to their games— which if they had noticed her in the past it wouldn't have mattered. But now, Hana kind of knew these people.

Like Uoya had mentioned earlier, you don't spy on your friends. She equated it to committing a friendship taboo.

Some part of her felt guilty. It was the same part of her that took over every time she saw someone sad. But it needed to be pushed back; she couldn't let her new friendship interfere with her duty to her own teammates. I'd just rather not get caught doing so.

As she made her way into the stadium, Hana peered down at the players. The second quarter had just started and Teiko was in the lead as expected. She hadn't paid attention to who they were facing but noted that their jersey was red. Hana pulled Uoya's black cap over her forehead and made her way to the railing. To cut down on her chance of being recognized, Hana had left her binder at home and instead brought a tiny composition book.

Taking said book out, Hana flipped to a clean page. Scanning the proceedings of the court, her eyes landed on a familiar crown of blond hair. Kise was paired off against a shorter boy with a shaved head. Hana couldn't recognize him for certain, but she believed it to be a player named Tsugawa.

Surprisingly, Kise was having a hard time keeping up with him. The blond was earning foul after foul.

This pattern continued, much to Kise's annoyance. She heard him shout for a replacement after earning another foul of his opponent. Shortly afterward, Nijimura was subbed in to replace Kise. Hana blinked at the sight of the third year. She hadn't seen Nijimura around much since he'd transferred the captain position over to Akashi. In fact, she'd assumed he'd retired early. Goes to show how distracted I've been. Damn miracles.

After Nijimura's sub-in, the game continued in Teiko's favor.

In the end, Teiko won 64 to 92. Hana wasn't surprised, but the audience was eating their victory up. Her green eyes landed on the cameramen around the court. Those were a new addition. More and more reporters and journalists had taken an interest in the dubbed Generation of Miracles. Hana wondered how the rest of the first string felt with that.

When she came back to her senses, she was startled by the sudden clearing of the audience. Everyone was making their way out of the gym except for the home team. Their new coach was watching over them and Akashi was talking to Kise about something Hana couldn't figure out. Maybe the fouls? Whatever it was, Kise seemed to accept it.

Then the inevitable happened. Akashi looked away from Kise and crimson eyes circled the stadium. They trailed over the remaining audience members, including herself. Because she's an idiot, Hana ducked. Any chance of Akashi looking away from her was now ruined and she gulped at the curious tilt of his head.

There's no way he knows it's me, Hana tried to console herself, he's probably just wondering who I am.

She wished she could see his face, but from this height, she had no idea what he was thinking. Trying to remain calm, Hana forced herself to stand and walked toward the exit. She merged into the remaining crowd and together they all made their way down the steps.

Instead of following the rest of the group to the main exit, Hana speared off from them and walked into the recesses of the hallway.

In horror movies, the villain always catches up to the hero in a dimly lit hallway or room. Unfortunately, Hana wasn't thinking straight; which she'd been doing a lot lately. Pulling her hood over the top of her hat, Hana meandered down the quiet hallway. She knew where she was, thankfully, and there was very little chance of a surprise encounter.

Except, Hana had never encountered the persistence of one Akashi Seijuro. While she had made her way down the stairs, a pair of red eyes had watched her intently. Excusing himself from the rest of the team, Akashi followed the girl. One hallway blended into another as he followed her through several turns. The hooded figure finally stopped and Akashi cleared his throat. The resulting screech confirmed his suspicions.

"Hello," Akashi began in polite cadence, "Would you mind sharing why you're roaming through the halls unaccompanied?"

Shit, shit, shit, shit. Hana panicked. Okay, maybe it's not so bad. He wasn't acting like he knew who she was, so maybe he thought she was just a thief. Which okay, that's not much better.

"Imamura-san?" Welp, guess he knows it's me. With a tinge of impatience, Akashi continued, "Please remove your hood if you aren't going to offer me a verbal explanation."

"Well, I was on my out—"

"No need," Akashi stated, "I've been meaning to talk to you. Now seems to be a convenient time."

Hana didn't like the sound of that, but she opened her mouth anyway, "About what?"

"Your connections to my teammates," the captain walked toward her and Hana took an automatic step back. Catching her movement, Akashi raised an eyebrow, "What happened to your past fearlessness? Have you become meek?"

"There's a big difference between meek and cautious," Hana answered as bravely as she could.

For some reason, this seemed to please the redhead and his eyes lightened in humor. Akashi took another step forward and Hana forced herself to hold still. This was a game of dominance and she needed to make her position clear.

A gentle puff of air came from the boy in front of her. Akashi was amused at her efforts. Everything about her was screaming in fear, yet the girl remained in her place if only to defy him. A slight tilt of the head before he spoke, "This is true, but do you know which side you fall on?"

Hana remained silent at the challenge. The point of this meeting wasn't clear to her; she couldn't figure out why Akashi had followed her. If he wanted to threaten her, he should have done so by now.

In the silence, Akashi spoke again, "Another question remains. I'll admit this is a personal one, but my curiosity has been peaked."

Hana eyed him before nodding, "Go ahead. I don't promise any answers, though."

"Smart," he admitted. His red eyes scanned her from head to two, before stopping on the obnoxious hat and hood combination, "Please remove the hood and hat."

She wanted to disobey. Every inch of her wanted to ignore his order but now is not the time. Closing her eyes, Hana released a stressed sigh before forcing herself to remove the mentioned articles. In return, Akashi quirked his lips at her face.

Hana couldn't imagine what he was thinking, but she knew she was being studied.

"Now," his smooth voice spoke, "for my question." Akashi watched her with sharpened eyes, looking for any change in the girl's body language. Noting how she tensed her body in preparation, Akashi hummed, "Can you lie to me?"

Hana slammed her eyes shut to hide her horror. She knew it, she damn well knew he'd find out.

The truth of the matter was, yes she could lie to him, but he would know the second she opened her mouth. She could tell him yes until her mouth bled, but he would never believe her. It was her curse as much as it was Akashi's blessing. Torio figured her fatal flaw had something to with her nerves spiking in strong presences thus causing her to lose her ability of deception.

Hana couldn't lie to people that intimidated her and with the case of the Miracles, that happened to span across the whole team.

She could always try, but that's where the problems come. Take Kise for example. When she'd tried to convince him that she had been looking for him to deliver the cupcakes, he'd been able to call her out right away. Momoi had done the same at the shopping center.

Then there was the incident with Kuroko at dinner when she hadn't even been able to force the lie out of her mouth.

"No," Hana finally admitted. There was no use denying it to the captain. If he was asking her, he'd already been able to come to the conclusion by himself, "I can't."

"I guessed as much," Akashi concluded. Red eyes met her own and he continued, "That must be inconvenient for you, but it fits my preferences quite nicely."

She wasn't looking at him, but Akashi continued despite her negligence, "Deception is a welcomed advantage to have. Yet, the problem comes in the form of controlling someone skilled in deflection and dishonesty. How can you expect loyalty from a liar?"

"You can't," Hana snapped at him, "Where are you going with this, Akashi-san?"

"You have involved yourself in my team; whether intentionally or by an accidental twist of fate. You are, in essence, an unexpected variable that had to be examined. Such close connections with several vital members could gift you an advantage over my control," he paused, "Which is why your weakness makes you valuable to me."

"Valuable? Don't talk about me like I'm a possession," Hana snarled and took a brave step forward. Giving her a side glance, Akashi stepped to the left and slowly rounded her.

"My words are not meant for offense," he explained, "In fact, the opposite. You are valuable in the sense that you have gifts I desire to use, yet you do not possess the side effect of those talents."

"… because I can't lie to you," Hana's voice had transferred into hesitancy as she worked to keep Akashi in her line of sight, "How can you expect me to help you? You seem to have forgot we don't like each other."

"Hostility will fade with time. Hasn't it already? You were so adamant in your hatred," Akashi's chuckle reached her ears as he circled back in front of her, "But where is that hatred now?"

"It's still there," she swallowed to ease her parched mouth.

Red eyes came to rest on her face and Hana flinched at his minuscule smile, "You're lying."

Directing a vicious scowl at Akashi, she spoke, "What are you trying to get?"

"Nothing for now," he conceded and raked piercing eyes over her again, "That will change in the future. But for now, you can be secure in your knowledge that you are no longer a pest to extinguish."

A shiver raced down her spine. A pest to extinguish, he said. Was that implying a past threat? Akashi stood in front of her as an unmovable presence. It was similar to standing in a hallway with only one exit. The only way to get out of this situation was through him. She felt her heart stuttering painfully in her chest at the realization.

"And if I say no?" She questioned, "What would you do if I said I didn't want a part in whatever this is?"

"You won't," Akashi stated, "You wish to be of use. You wish for your talents to be acknowledged. Why would you refuse?"

"Because I'm not a member of your team," Hana countered, "I have my own to look out for. Why should I spend my time helping you instead of them?"

"Ah, but do they actively let you? In our first meeting, I recall you mentioning that your captain prefers to play fairly. Where do you come into that?"

"I'm more than what my talents imply," Hana snarled, "I can be a liar, but that's not all that I am. You're not going to shove me into a box for your own purposes."

With a soft chuckle, Akashi closed the distance to stand in her personal bubble. He was only taller than her by about an inch, but that inch seemed miles long. His eyes locked onto hers, "I'm not asking much of you. I will only call on you when absolutely necessary. You wouldn't even part from your team."

"The thing is, Akashi-san, you don't need me," Hana pointed out baldly. He truly didn't. His team was a force to be reckoned with and with his own societal status, Akashi had enough influence to get whatever he wanted. Her voice cracked as she tried to continue, "You have nothing to gain from my help."

"What you don't seem to understand, Imamura, is that while I may not have explicate need for you, I certainly do not want you against me," Akashi frowned at the thought, "You haven't reached your full potential, but when that time comes, I would rather you be on my side."

"So this is more of you covering your bases than a desire for my help," Hana stated.

"If you want it in simplistic terms, yes," Akashi looked away from her down the hall, "You could grow dangerous. I'm eliminating the threat while providing a solution."

Hana scoffed at him, "Two birds with one stone, huh?"

The side of his face turned toward her and Hana watched a smile tug up the corner of his lips, "Precisely."

"So, say I agree to help you out," Hana speculated the purposed outcome, "What am I getting out of this?"

"Hmmm," Akashi sounded amused and Hana didn't like it, "Such a quick change of heart. You'd be gathering friendship of course, but you already have that. A sense of purpose seems appropriate."

"I don't need purpose," Hana countered.

"You don't want to be recognized?" Akashi turned toward her again, face intense, "To be thanked for your efforts? For your talents to be appreciated? I can see it in your eyes, the way you've talked about your captain. You want to help," he lowered his face so they could see perfectly eye to eye and Hana could swear one of them was orange, "Because you want someone to need you and I've just given you the offer you've longed for."

Hana jerked back with a curse and her hand longed to lash out at the boy. His pale face was disturbing from the overhead lights and two different colored eyes gleamed in opposition. She took a few deliberate steps back and those damned eyes followed her every move. Sufficiently far enough from Akashi, Hana took a calming breath, "If I say yes, don't do that shit again."

"Is that your answer?" Akashi ignored her order.

She grimaced, "…Yes, but it doesn't seem like I've got much of a choice here, Akashi-san."

"You're trying to push full blame onto me," He challenged indifferently, "I merely stated your own feelings."

"Shut up," Hana snapped at him, reaching her breaking point. Two red eyebrows rose at her cheek and Hana continued, "Stop with the damn games. That's all this conversation has been and I'm absolutely sick of your shit—"

"Enough," Akashi ordered, "As it is now, I'm amused by your backlash, but it will not remain that way. I expect my teammates and my subordinates to listen to my commands. Your cheek can be attributed as part of an eccentric personality, but do not step out of line."

"Don't tell me what to do," Hana echoed after him. Her voice was failing her in the tense atmosphere and her outburst had zapped most of the energy out of her body. Akashi's lip quirked at her final attempt of defiance.

Meanwhile, the earlier flash of orange in his left eye had vanished, "I meant what I said, Imamura-san. I do believe your talents are prized and I hope we will be able to overcome this setback. In the meantime, I will be asking your captain's permission to borrow you for our next practice. I do hope you'll remain accepting of our deal."

With his last shell shocking statement, Akashi turned to leave. As her defeat registered, Hana felt the urge to shout out after him. She didn't know what she planned to say and her mouth open and closed as she tried to sort out her thoughts. By the time she'd gathered herself, Akashi was already at the end of the hallway. Wide green eyes watched as he disappeared around the corner.

Leaning back against the wall, Hana sank to the floor. Her eyes stared forward unblinkingly and her hands twitched at her sides. The image of heterochromatic eyes played behind her irises on repeat like her own personal nightmare. She could find no plausible explanation.

What the hell was that…