Hello, new chapter! Yay! I hope it's alright... I'm a little iffy on it. I'm trying to keep the canon plot in mind, but it's kind of boring. From now on, I'll probably be changing a few of the smaller things up (none of the games or life altering conversations or anything like that, but some of the small talk.) If you have a issue with that feel free to tell me! Enjoy the newest chapter. Fair warning, I'm really sleepy right now, so I may have missed some editing mistakes. (I also used Japanese terms for the first time... I hope I didn't butcher them.)

Warnings: Bad language, violence, crappy editing

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke's characters or any canon events.


Old Ghosts

"Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"Yes! I've told you!" Hana grumped back, "Now please, do it."

"I don't know…"

"It'd be a lot easier if your hands would stop shaking."

"I'm nervous! I've never done this before!"

Closing her eyes, Hana let out a long sigh. When they re-opened they narrowed in on Uoya's reflection in the mirror. Her voice was deadpan when she responded, "All you have to do is cut in a straight line. It's easy."

"But it's your hair!" Uoya brought his hands up to his face, uncertain, "What if I cut it too short?"

"They're bangs," Hana rolled her eyes, "They'll grow out in like three weeks."

"Oh man," She watched Uoya gulp, "Okay, so above your eyebrows?"

One eyebrow quirking, Hana looked over her reflection, "Honestly, I'd stick with below. If you screw it up they're easier to hide that way."

"… That doesn't help my confidence at all."

"It's seriously easy. Stop worrying and cut them."

Uoya brought the orange scissors toward her forehead and Hana watched them carefully. Maybe I should have drugged him… All that shaking can't be healthy. Pulling out the hair in front of her face, Uoya came to stand beside her. Green eyes gave him a side glance before Hana's attention returned to the mirror. One snip and a long strand of black hair floated to the floor.

"I think I've got this," Uoya let a smile cross his face, "It's easy- oh."

The change of tone accompanied an extra snip and Hana watched another strand of black hair fall to the floor. It was significantly longer than the first, "Uoya. I said below the eyebrow."

"It's okay!" Uoya continued to cut and Hana felt a tingle of dread, "I like it better this way, it brings out your eyes."

"… I did this to hide my eyes."

"Oh..." another snip, "Please, don't be too mad?"

Behind the layer of hair, Hana grimaced, "We'll see. If you mess it up, I'll just cut yours too."

Uoya let out a whimper as he cut another strand of hair, "Crap…"

Flash forward twenty minutes and Hana was pouting at her reflection. Despite her worry, Uoya hadn't messed up too bad. He managed to cut in a mostly straight line and they looked good enough. She'd thin them out later. But the thing she wasn't happy about was the length. At the ends, they leveled out with her eyebrows, but slowly arched higher toward the middle.

"I look like a doll," Hana's pout grew bigger and she grimaced at the effect. The stupid bangs made her eyes look huge. Like a deer. She didn't want to be a goddamn deer.

"Ah haha," Uoya was resting against her wall and he brought a hand up to his hair nervously, "I think you look cute?"

"I was supposed to look threatening," She narrowed her eyes at the mirror, but the effect was severely diminished, "How am I supposed to scare people away now?"

"…" Her younger friend tilted his head, "Maybe that's a good thing? You might like high school more if you have friends."

"I have friends," Hana sniffed, "I don't need any more."

"… Friends that are your age and go to school with you," Uoya retorted, "Who falls into that category?"

Well, damn. Maybe she shouldn't have taught Uoya how to be sassy. It was biting her in the butt these days. Pulling at a strand of her newly cut bangs, Hana frowned, "Fine, you win. I still don't like it though."

Uoya was silent for a moment and when Hana glanced back at him, she realized he had on his thinking face. Probably doesn't want me to screw up his hair in revenge. His brown eyes narrowed at her ceiling before trailing back down to her. When he spoke, it was thoughtful, "I know you might not like being called cute, but think of the advantages."

"What advantages?" Hana blinked, "Are you suggesting I get a boyfriend?"

"Blegk!" Uoya pretended to gag and Hana rolled her eyes. Her friend continued a moment later, "No, but sort of? People are more open to attractive people. You can make friends."

"What?" She tugged her lip into her mouth; that didn't sound like an advantage. Seconds passed before a figurative lightbulb turned on above her head, "You genius!"

"Okay…" Uoya trailed off at Hana's shit-eating grin, at least she isn't mad anymore, "I'm glad you're happy, but I'm not sure I like that look?"

"I'm tiny," Hana shoved her face closer to the mirror and tugged at her cheek, "I've got the bangs. I can fake the attitude. Oh, this will be great!"

"I feel like we have two different ideas—"

"I look adorable!" Hana spun back around and darted toward Uoya. Her hands wrapped around his waist in a crushing hug, "No one suspects the adorable one! Do you know how much shit I can get away with?! This is great!"

"That's not-" Hana squeezed him harder and Uoya let out a pained moan, "I've been made into an unwilling accomplice."

Ignoring him, she continued to visualize her master plan, "I'll need a ribbon… A big one. Do you know how to tie a bow? 'Cause I'm going to need help; I can only do knots."

"Hana-chan," Uoya let out a forlorn sigh, "This is a terrible idea-"

In return, Hana removed her arms from around his waist and grabbed a hold of his hand, "The first day is tomorrow! Come on! I bet they sell ribbons somewhere!"

"Hana-"

"And we can get Nūdoru one too!" Hana tugged him out the bathroom door and rushed down the steps, "He had a red one, but he chewed it up—Do you think they make industrial ribbons?"

"I-"

"This is your best idea ever," Hana continued to babble as she waved goodbye to her dad, "Like the best. I'll put you in my obituary, I swear it."

With a groan, Uoya gave up his struggle. I've created a monster… I hope the world can forgive me.


She'd never admit it to anyone, but Hana was nervous about her first day. She hadn't slept well the night before and now her eyes reflected her sorry state. As she tied her newly purchased white ribbon around her ponytail, Hana scowled at the dark circles. Stupid human genetics, Hana spat her mouthwash into the sink, maybe I shouldn't have thrown all my makeup out…

That decision had been done in a fit of anger. She'd watched a video on how to apply it the correct way in anticipation of her master plan, but she couldn't do it. No matter how she did it, she always came out looking like a clown. Seriously, why would someone apply artificial blush? She had a hard enough time with her natural one. Not to mention the mascara! Glorified torture machine. After poking her eye with the wand, she'd cried black tears for five minutes.

The lip gloss was easy though. She could do that, even if her hair tended to stick to her lips.

Anyway, it was six o'clock in the morning and Hana was sipping on her second cup of coffee while she changed into her new uniform. It was better than her one at Teiko, but she still didn't like the skirt. Guys got to wear pants, why couldn't she? Oh well, she sucked it up as she pulled her tennis shoes on, it completes the innocent look.

Making her way downstairs, Hana walked over to the fridge in search of some of her father's leftover bagels. Nūdoru had followed her and was sitting by the back door, watching her pitifully. Hana rolled her eyes before grabbing his food first. Emptying the wet mush onto a plate, she propped the door open with her hip and Nūdoru rushed outside as Hana left the plate behind her. Now, she could eat her bagel in peace.

Three bagels later, Hana let her dog back inside before pouring another cup of coffee into her container. A glance at the clock showed that she still had an hour and thirty minutes before she had to be in class. What to do? Brows furrowed as she glanced away from the clock back to the two bagels still laid out on the counter. Would Kiyoshi be awake? That would ease some of her nerves…

It was a ten-minute bus ride to the hospital, then fifteen more to the school. Including walking time, that left her enough time for thirty-minute visit. Why the hell not, she shrugged before grabbing her backpack off the couch, if he's not awake then I'll just leave the bagels with the nurse.

Turns out Kiyoshi was awake. Hana didn't know the boy well enough to figure out if this was normal or not, but she'd have to guess so. Besides, Kiyoshi seemed like an early riser. Apparently his grandfather was too, because he was in the room when she arrived. As Hana sat in her chair, she watched the elderly man out of the corner of her eye. They look so alike… It's uncanny.

If Kiyoshi had gray hair, the two could be twins. They looked to be around the same height, but Hana couldn't tell with Kiyoshi reclining in the bed and the hunched back of his grandfather. They shared the same smile too. It was weird. Not to mention, Hana had never really liked old people. Kiyoshi's grandfather was turning out to be okay, but she couldn't tell for certain.

"Imamura?" Kiyoshi interrupted her observation and Hana turned back to him, "Did you change your hair?"

"…" Hana blinked, "You just now noticed?"

Kiyoshi didn't answer her question, just tilted his head in thought, "It looks nice."

"Now, Teppei," Kiyoshi's grandfather let out a rough chuckle, "That's not how you compliment a lady," his grandfather turned toward Hana, "Imamura-san, was it? You look quite beautiful."

What. Hana's mind came to a standstill and she gaped at the older man. The first person to call her beautiful and he was at least in his sixties. Her mouth hung open, but Hana forced it shut to reply, "Thank you, Kiyoshi-san?"

"No need to be so formal," he let out another coughing laugh, "You can just call me ojiisan; Teppei's talked about you a bit."

It was official. Hana had gone to the Twilight Zone. Shooting Kiyoshi a startled look, Hana turned back to his grandfather, "Alright… ojiisan? I hope he's said nice things?"

"Of course," his grandfather gave her a grin, "Mentioned you were a spit-fire, but I haven't seen it yet."

"Sofu," Kiyoshi let out a tired chuckle that sounded similar to his grandfathers, "I'm sure Imamura's just trying to be polite."

At the end of his sentence, Kiyoshi smiled in her direction. Hana still didn't know how to take this recent turn of events and green eyes widened dramatically. Her voice came out uncertain, "Yeah, what he said."

"There it is," Kiyoshi's grandfather chortled before looking down at the watch on his wrist, "Lots of fire in you, I can feel it. Now I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it seems you're running late, little lady."

"Huh?" Her mouth continued to gape before Hana pulled out her phone. On the screen the time reflected that she'd stayed fifteen minutes past her deadline, "Shit!" As soon as the words left her mouth, a hand came to cover it, "Awh, hell- ahgk- sorry! I apologize, ojjisan."

Kiyoshi's grandfather raised his eyebrows, but his smile hadn't left, "I've heard worse before."

"You've said worse," Kiyoshi laughed after his grandfather finished. Meanwhile, Hana was zipping her bag shut and Kiyoshi transferred his gaze onto her, "Hey, Imamura? Have you thought about what I said last time?"

"About joining the basketball team?" Hana pulled her bag up to her shoulder, "A bit. I'm still not sure it's a good idea…"

"Think about it," Kiyoshi didn't pressure her, which Hana enjoyed. His eyes followed her to the door before he spoke again, "Hope to see you soon."

"You will," Hana yanked the door open and shot the two men a smile, "Bye Kiyoshi, bye ojiisan!"

"See you, little lady!" Kiyoshi's grandfather replied just as the door shut behind her. For a moment, Hana just stood in the hallway. With a shake of her head, she marched down the hall. Kiyoshi's grandfather was interesting, she'd give him that. She transferred her walk into a jog as the time caught up to her.

Sprinting out the front entrance, her thoughts took an exasperated edge when she remembered the elderly man's compliment. The blush that overtook her cheeks made her scowl, I still don't trust old people. They're too unpredictable.


"Join the basketball club, he said," Hana ducked under a person's arms, "You'll enjoy it, he said."

She might have enjoyed it if he told her where it was! Because of her near Olympic speed of running, Hana had made up for her delay and arrived at school when she'd planned. What she hadn't planned for though, was the mass of people outside of the school. It was like New York. She'd been once with her mother and this was giving her flashbacks. So many people. So many freaking tall people!

She hadn't minded the population at Teiko since she was normally surrounded by her friends. They served as a buffer between herself and the other people. But here, she had no one. Well, she had Kiyoshi's teammates, but they didn't seem to be the type to appreciate her clinging. Koganei might, but he wasn't much taller than her. It'd be pointless.

Back to the problem at hand, Hana couldn't see over half the people. She didn't know what this school put in their food, but it had to be growth hormones. Hana scowled at everyone around her as she ducked under another pair of arms. She was surrounded. Not to mention, all the screaming about different clubs was getting on her nerves.

"Where the hell could they be?" She stumbled away from an incoming student. Green eyes glared after his back, "I need a tall person."

Deciding to just stand there, Hana looked for a person gifted with height. If she saw one, she was planning to stealthily follow behind them. They'd clear the path for her and she wouldn't have to keep fighting through the masses. Nope, not tall enough. She looked over to the left side, you're kind of tall… but you're going the wrong way! Turn around, idiot!

When she turned to the right, her eyes landed on a head of red hair. Now, he's perfect. The boy was walking toward her and Hana merged into the crowd until he passed. People were moving out of his way automatically and as he walked by her, Hana darted behind him. No one shot her a second look and she praised her ingenuity. He can't even see me, he'll never know.

She examined the mammoth in front of her. His shoulders were held high and his head was rotating around the grounds, searching for something. Hana didn't know what, but hell, she didn't care either. As long as he didn't veer off course.

"If you join the basketball club, you'll be cute too!"

The voice of Izuki echoed in her ears and Hana stood on her tippy toes to try and see where it came from. Shoulders and heads still blocked her view and she scowled. Stupid people. Can't you just crawl? Right as she thought that, the guy in front of her turned toward the voice. His steps increased in speed and Hana had to rush after him.

Tall people and their damn long legs, Hana glared at the mystery boy's back. Peering around his massive arm, Hana saw Koganei, Izuki, and Mitobe. The boy in front of her saw them two and walked toward them. His body mass hovered over all three boys and Hana had to jump backward at his sudden stop. She didn't want to ram into him.

"Basketball?" Her shield spoke suddenly and all eyes were on him. As she looked around his arm, Hana caught eyes with Izuki. Izuki's eyes widened at the sight of her and Hana brought a finger up to her mouth in the universal sign of, shut up! When he registered the situation, Izuki shot her a droll look and Hana stuck her tongue out in retribution. He's just jealous he didn't think of it.

"Yes-" Koganei's reply was cut off as the boy in front of her lifted him up by his shirt collar. His resulting sound of surprise was lost in the chatter of surrounding students. As she watched, Hana gawked, damn man. You are one strong dude. Unknowing of the shock around him, the red head began to walk forward with Koganei in his arms.

Figuring they were heading toward the basketball section, Hana continued to follow her shield. Izuki walked beside the red head and gave Koganei a sympathy filled glance. The smart one of the group, Mitobe, came to stand beside Hana and walked in the path the larger boy created. Hana gave the boy a silent wave which he responded to in kind.

The walk to the basketball club's stand came quickly. Hana assumed it had something to do with the frightening picture the redhead made. He wasn't even breaking a sweat! Koganei had to weigh something, but the redhead didn't seem to care. Arriving at the stand, mister scary teenager released Koganei to address Riko.

While coach and player talked, Hyuuga caught sight of her and raised incredulous eyebrows. In return, Hana repeated the same gesture she had done with Izuki. The conversation between the redhead and Riko was lost to her as Hyuuga twitched at her disrespect. Shooting the captain a guilty grimace, Hana ducked away from her shield and under the table.

The chair beside her was suddenly pulled out and Hana darted away from the large feet about to smash her fingers. Shooting a snarl up at the redhead, she curled further into a ball. Izuki and Mitobe were both watching her in confusion, but Hana didn't care to respond. Dodging a kick from the passive aggressive captain, her face formed a pout. Okay, I get it. Another kick came and Hana's pout turned into a grimace as she grabbed Hyuuga's foot, stop kicking at me!

"I don't care," she recognized the voice as belonging to the scary redhead, "I'm going after I leave my name."

In the meantime, Hyuuga was trying to get his foot back, but Hana held firm. She wasn't letting go anytime soon. He'd just kick her again and boy, did his kicks freaking hurt. She'd been subjected to one at the hospital when he'd gotten tired of her foul mouth. After that instance, Hana tried to avoid coming when Hyuuga did.

Riko's voice distracted her, "You don't have a reason for joining?"

"Not really," the redhead replied, "Basketballs the same wherever you go in Japan."

"Dumb ass," Hana spoke without thinking, "That's stupid reasoning-" Hyuuga's other foot connected with her knee and Hana yelped.

"What?" The redhead's voice sounded like a growl and Hana flinched. Oh man, I done mucked up.

"Nothing! Nothing!" Hana heard Riko try to assure the boy and her guilt grew. Still though, that was stupid. Basketball's not the same wherever you went… Hana had been to plenty of American basketball games when she was younger. There's tons of differences!

From her hiding place under the table, Hana watched the redhead shove his chair out and stand. She waited a few more seconds before popping out from her hiding place and taking his chair. Beside her, Koganei collapsed unto the table with terrified mumbles.

"Hey," Riko and Hyuuga shot her equal unimpressed looks, "Okay, don't look at me like that! He sounds like a jerk anyway."

"That's the best candidate we've had today, Imamura-chan," Riko chastised as she looked down at his paper, "An American basketball player, we might actually have a chance this year!"

Beside her, the captain raised an eyebrow, "What are you implying, coach?" Then his glasses turned toward Hana with a flash, "And you! What was that?!"

"Uhm…" Hana stalled before changing the subject with a smile, "Can I fill out a form, Hyuuga-senpai?"

The bespeckled captain practically threw a form at her before turning down toward the redhead's paper, "Kagami Taiga. He came from a middle school in America."

"That's not that great-" Hana mumbled as she scribbled out her form, "It just means he had a different training style."

Her fingers filed through the sections automatically. Name: Imamura Hana, School: Teiko Junior High, Goals: … Destroy everyone. She finished writing with a deadly smirk. Perfect. Not sure Kiyoshi would approve, but hell, I followed his advice!

Next, her eyes looked for a section about favored positions. Finding none, she quirked an eyebrow before writing MANAGER at the top of the page. She drew a couple arrows toward it, indicating the importance.

When she glanced back up, Koganei was looking at a sheet of paper, "Hey, you missed one."

"Huh?" Riko muttered before reading through the page, "Kuroko Tetsuya?" Hana's blood ran cold and she gaped up at the caramel headed coach. You've got to be kidding me. Her hand was about to take her registration paper back, but Hyuuga had already retrieved it.

"Oi, Hyuuga-senpai?" Hana called over at the captain, "Can I have my paper back? I'm resigning."

"Too late, brat." His response made Hana hiss and she was seconds away from jumping over that table and getting it herself. In return, Hyuuga just gave her a smile. A smile Hana had learned meant immediate death, so with a pout, she backed off.

Riko's gasp cut everyone off, "Teiko basketball club?!"

God dammit. With a groan, Hana buried her head into her arms. Around her everyone began to chatter, but all she could think about was blue eyes. Stupid blue eyes and blue hair… fate hates me. Her groans got louder and Hana sunk further into her unease. Did he see me? I freaking hope not.

By the time she stopped groaning, Hana realized Riko was talking to her, "Huh?"

"I asked if you knew him," Riko tilted her head as she watched the other girl let out another loud moan, "Do you, Imamura-chan?"

Hana peeked an eye out to reply, "Sort of."

"That seems to be a common answer with you," Izuki muttered from the background, "Common conversation? Common comments!"

"Izuki-senpai," Hana mumbled into her arms, "I'm so close to punching you. I'm just giving you a fair warning."

This time, Hyuuga spoke, "So, do you know him?"

"Eh," Hana's shoulders shrugged awkwardly from her crunched over position, "We were friends, but it's over now."

None of the upperclassmen spoke for a moment and Hana was left to relish in her misery. If Kuroko's here, who else? Surely the rest of them would have followed him… Or would they? I can't see Akashi going to a school like this. Did Kuroko break off from them? What the hell is going on?

As Hana wallowed, Izuki brought out a notebook and began to jot down something, "The ship of friendship has sailed?"

Riko suddenly went into a fit, but Hana didn't care. All she heard was Generation of Miracles, before her chair was shoved out and she was stalking away. Behind her, she heard Riko call out, but Hana just waved a hand. She'd find them all later.

"I'm going to go find Mr. Shield," Hana muttered under her breath as she dove into the crowd, "For security purposes."


Mr. Shield, otherwise known as one Kagami Taiga, was easy to find. Turns out he was in the same class as Hana, which was wonderful. All she had to do now was stick to him like glue. It wasn't a hard plan. She could be quiet and unnoticeable. In fact, he hadn't noticed her sitting beside him, too interested in glaring at the chalkboard at the head of the classroom.

They were in English class together and well, for a boy from America, he wasn't so hot at this. The teacher had started off with a bang by firing questions at unsuspecting students. When the teacher yelled out his name, Kagami continued to stare at the chalk board with a frown. Beside him, Hana raised an eyebrow as the teacher grew incensed. Kagami still didn't notice.

Having enough of his stupidity, Hana kicked her leg across the aisle into his own. The fearsome redhead jolted and looked around. Noticing the boy's attention, the teacher fired another question at him. He answered correctly, thank god, and the teacher moved on to terrify another student.

Red eyes turned to meet her own, "Did you just kick me?"

"I did," Hana didn't pause in her notetaking, "You're welcome."

"You're welcome?!" Kagami's mouth gaped open before he leaned toward her, "Why the hell did you do that?"

"You weren't paying attention," Her lips curled into a hidden smirk as she stared down at her paper. Finally looking up, she gave Kagami an innocent pout, "I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"

"What? No!" apparently, the redhead could blush. Kagami looked away from her before offering his last retort, "Just don't do it again."

Hana rolled her eyes before muttering, "Sir, yes sir."

English was their last class for the day. When the final bell went off, Hana gathered her things while watching Kagami out of the corner of her eyes. Unbeknownst to the boy, Hana had decided the redhead would become her new bodyguard. She missed her overprotective idiots, especially if the miracles are here… As Kagami slung his bag over his shoulder, Hana darted after him.

Copying her move from this morning, Hana followed behind him. As the masses cleared out, she decided to do something bold. Maybe even a little… mischievous. Picking up her pace, Hana appeared beside him, "Hey, Kagami-kun."

The redhead looked at her and then back forward. Moments passed before he did a double take, "-You?!"

"Me," Hana gave him her happiest smile, "Are you going to the basketball club?"

"Yeah," the redhead had turned back into his grumpy self from earlier. They continued to walk together toward the gym when Kagami finally turned back to her, "What are you doing?"

"Following you," Hana admitted unashamed, "I'm going to the basketball club too."

"…" Narrowed red eyes peered at her, "Really?"

"Yup!" Hana gave him a smirk before darting ahead a bit. She turned on her heel and began to walk backward, "Speaking of that, I had a deal to make with you."

"A deal?"

"Mhmm," Hana slowed her pace so she could walk beside him, "You see, I'm concerned about a few things. I'd like to make a deal with you regrading said things."

"The hell?" He shot her an incredulous look and Hana could tell he was about to tell her to screw off, "Who are you-"

"Imamura Hana," She interrupted him, "But, I'm serious. I'll pay you."

"… You'll pay me?" His weird, quadruple, eyebrows rose, "In what?"

"I don't know," Hana shrugged her shoulders as she turned back around to walk correctly, "Money, food, homework? What do you want?"

"Are you-" Kagami looked shocked and Hana brought a hand up to hide her laugh. He turned toward her in a fury, "What are you trying to get?!"

"…" Hana thought over her answer before deciding to be truthful, "A body guard."

"You're insane," Kagami walked ahead. His shoulders were stiff and Hana let out a loud groan as she rushed after him. Her hand latched onto his wrist and tugged it firmly. He didn't move, but he did shoot her a glare, "What?"

"I'm serious," Hana fought to keep her eye roll under control, "There's a guy here I used to go to school with, but he's not the problem. I'm worried that his crazy friend followed him."

"…" The damsel in distress card worked and Kagami stopped walking to reply to her, "What'd you do to piss the guy off?"

"Disrespected him," this time, Hana let her eyes roll, "Insulted the pride of the Generation of Miracles. Oh, the horror."

That seemed to peek the redhead's interest and Kagami furrowed his brows, "Generation of what?"

"Generation of Miracles," Hana corrected him while latching onto his wrist again, "You'll hear all about them. Do you know where the gym is?"

"…" With his brows still furrowed, Kagami yanked his arm out of her grip before replying, "I have a map."

"The hell?" Hana gaped at him as they walked forward, "Where'd you get a map?!"

Kagami gifted her with a look that clearly said, you're an idiot, "The admissions office."

"Screw that," Hana grabbed the map out of Kagami's hands, "Where the hell are we? The language hall?"

"Hey! You can't—" Kagami's hands tried to grab the map out of her own, but Hana avoided his attempts. He may be large, but he wasn't fast enough to catch her. Her green eyes scanned over the tiny rooms as she ducked away from his grabby fingers. Finding the gym at the opposite end of the school, Hana ducked down the next hallway.

Kagami followed with a growl, "You! Give that back!"

"We're going to the same place," Hana waved a hand over her shoulder and sped up, "Just follow me. 'Sides, I'll give it back if you agree to the deal!"

He followed. Very angrily, Hana would like to add. Yet, the stubborn redhead didn't accept her terms.

I'll get him to agree, sooner or later.


They arrived to the gym a little bit later. Hana noticed the second years, and the one she hadn't been introduced to yet. Apparently, every time she'd arrived at the hospital, Tsuchida had left right before she arrived. It was odd, but Hana wouldn't question it. As she eyed the smiling second year, her eyes traveled over the assembled first years. Nothing impressive… In the background, she saw a flash of blue and her heart stuttered, Kuroko?

Watching the area warily, Hana finally caught sight of her old friend. He was standing off to the side, observing the team without notice. When he felt her gaze, Kuroko's blue eyes turned to meet her own. They stared at each other intently. Kuroko's face was deceptively blank, but Hana knew her mouth was pressed into a firm line.

She turned away. No one seemed to notice the ghostly player and Hana took it to her advantage. Her eyes traveled over to Riko, who was looking at a clipboard. The first-year players were lined up in front of the coach and Hana quirked an eyebrow as they whispered together. Only, their whispers weren't quite whisper level. A moment passed before Hyuuga punched them both and Hana winced in sympathy. I know that hurts.

Instead of addressing the first years, Riko turned to her, "Imamura-chan! You came!"

"Yup," Hana drawled and she saw Kagami turn to her in contemplation, "Hyuuga-senpai wouldn't give me my form back. Figured I could withdraw in person-"

"I said it was too late," The captain crossed his arms over his chest. Hana scowled back at him, dominant male syndrome.

"Okay," Hana directed her words to the thorny captain, "Do you want me to beg or something? I will."

"No," that was Riko and the coach gave her a smile, "I'm happy you came! Teppei told me you might, so I held the position open."

Oh, great. The guilt card. Hana's mouth hung open for a second before she shut it with a snap, "Fine, fine. Stupid tattle tale…"

The coach gave her a sweet smile, but Hana didn't believe it for a second. Sneaky, sneaky, sneaky. Turning away from Hana, Riko addressed the assembled boys, "Everyone! Shirts off!"

The resulting gawk could have been humorous, if only Hana didn't feel Kuroko's stare on her back. She refused to look. Instead, she focused her eyes on the boys taking their clothes off. She wouldn't judge Riko's training method, especially if they gave this kind of result. Trailing her eyes over the boys, Hana finally landed on Kagami. Her eyebrow quirked as she looked at his chest.

Now, that. That, I can appreciate… Riko apparently felt the same. Her caramel eyes hadn't left Kagami's form for a while and Hana let out a soft chuckle at the drool dripping down her lip. Hyuuga said something that broke the coach out of her gaze, but Hana was still eyeing Kagami musingly. That was a lot of muscle for a first-year.

In the background, she heard Riko yell out for Kuroko. At the familiar name, Hana shut her eyes. She didn't want to see him up close, not yet anyway. It had been ages since they'd talked to one another and a personal reencounter would be terribly awkward. When she opened them, Hana didn't see Kuroko. One second passed, then another before the blue haired boy appeared in front of the coach. The scream Riko let out could have broken glass.

For a moment, Hana felt a tinge of pleasure. See, I'm not the only one you scare all the time. It trailed off as she heard Kuroko speak. His voice brought back bitter memories and Hana looked away again. Her green eyes landed on Kagami and she watched the redhead stare down Kuroko. It was an intense stare, like a predator sizing up potential prey. In fact, did he just sniff the air? The hell?

Kuroko began to talk with some of the second years, but Hana zoned them out until she heard Riko speak. "A-alright," the coach's voice was shaky, "Take off your shirt, please."

Hana didn't want to look. She really didn't. But the opportunity was too much to pass up. She'd never seen any of the boys without their shirts and well… you only live once, right? Green eyes landed on an expanse of pale chest and Hana trailed her eyes over Kuroko's body. She immediately looked away, I feel like a pervert.

Trying to break the newly developed tension, Hana raised a hand and when Riko looked at her, she spoke, "Want me to take mine off, too?"

"No!" That answer came, surprisingly, from all the second years. For a second, Hana was insulted. Her eyes narrowed in on them and Koganei fidgeted.

"I wouldn't mind!" The cat boy instantly backpedaled at Riko's glare, "I'm kidding! I'm kidding!"

"No time for jokes!" Hyuuga interrupted the incoming beat down, "Everyone get ready for practice!"

Taking that as her cue to ask Riko about her duties, Hana made her way to the coach. She could still feel Kuroko's eyes on her and when she glanced at him, the blue haired boy offered her a nod. Instinctively, Hana nodded back. She didn't speak and neither did he. Green eyes moved away as Hana forced her feet to walk toward the coach.

"Oi, Riko?" Hana interrupted her notetaking and the coach looked up at her, "Anything you need me to do? I don't want to sit around all practice."

"Oh!" The coach's caramel eyes lit up before she retrieved a secondary clipboard and handed it to Hana, "Could you help record the statistics of the second-years? I'm going to focus in on the new ones, but I want to see if the other guys have improved."

"Gotcha," Hana nodded as she retrieved the clipboard, "I'll go over and sit by that old guy. What's his name again?"

"Takeda-sensei," Riko gave her a deadpan look, "Weren't you listening?"

"Nope," Hana's tongue clicked in her mouth and she gave the coach a saccharine covered smile, "Sorry, Riko!"

The coach's eyes narrowed and Hana skillfully made her retreat. She'd learned that just like Hyuuga, Riko had a violent streak. A terribly violent streak that Hana did not want to encounter again. Darting away, she offered the coach a cheeky wave.

When she came up beside him, Takeda-sensei gave her a watery smile. Begrudgingly, Hana returned it. I still don't trust old people. Her back landed against the wall and she sunk down to watch the second years. Marking off checkboxes beside each player's name, Hana forced her eyes to not seek out Kuroko. She was going to have a good year, dammit.

The past won't stop me.


"Kagami-san!" Hana screeched after the redhead's back, "Slow the hell down!"

He didn't slow down. His long strides continued, further taking him away from her reach. They'd left practice a while ago and Hana had resorted to following him down the street. It was creepy, it was stalker-ish, but dammit, she wanted him to accept her deal. Despite the fact she hadn't seen Akashi, Hana wasn't going to take any chances.

"Okay," Her breath came out in a wheeze, "Can you just stop?!"

Again, she was ignored. Frankly, Hana didn't like to be ignored. It could be tolerated for a few exceptions, but this guy didn't get the benefit of the doubt. Sure, he was scary looking, but he wasn't all that. He didn't intimidate her. Hana could lie to him. I think…

Anyway, back to the grumpy redhead. He had left practice as soon as he could, slamming the door behind him. Hana got the impression he wasn't happy with Seirin's skill. She still remembered his subtle jab earlier about how weak Japanese basketball was. Speeding up, she power walked down the sidewalk.

"I'm giving you until three to stop," Hana rose her voice. She was trying to be intimidating, but judging from his lack of response, it wasn't working. With a deep breath, she began, "One… Two…"

Kagami still didn't look back and Hana scowled. Screw this. I will not be defeated by a stubborn, arrogant, mule!

"Three!" Her voice called out right before she sprinted toward him. Saying to hell with all the consequences, Hana darted past him while simultaneously grabbing his bag off his shoulder. She didn't stop running even as she heard Kagami's shout. Her feet only moved faster.

Okay, so big boy can run fast, Hana panted out a sharp breath as she turned a corner, who would have known? Darting down a dark alley way, Hana hopped over a spilt garbage can. She could hear Kagami huffing in the distance and by god, he was gaining on her. Oh man, he is going to be so pissed. Grabbing onto the brick at the end of the wall, Hana hurtled herself to the side.

"Imamura!" Yep, that was one pissed off Kagami, "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Don't ignore me!" Hana cried over her shoulder as she jumped off the concrete ledge of the walkway. Landing on the one below, she forced her feet to keep moving. She heard the thump of Kagami a moment later and Hana was stuck with the realization she had nowhere to go, "Shit, shit, shit."

Up ahead, she spotted a dimly lit basketball court and, figuring it was her only chance of safety, sprinted toward it. She was just pushing open the chain link gate when a hand grabbed onto the bag on her shoulder. Losing her balance for a second, Hana spun around away from Kagami's grip. Falling to her knees, she pushed herself up and sprinted toward the hoop.

Wrapping her arms around it for dear life, Hana panted, "You're like 200 pounds… How do you run so fast?"

"Man," even Kagami was breathing hard as he stared her down, "What the hell was that?"

"You weren't listening to me!"

"So what!"

"It was rude!"

"That doesn't give you an excuse to steal my stuff!"

"Yes, it does!"

"What the hell," Kagami's voice transferred into English and Hana blinked, "Are all the woman here crazy?"

"That's sexist," Hana responded in English as she released her grip on the hoop. Her hand's held Kagami's bag in front of her defensively, "Do you prefer to talk in English?"

"What?" Kagami's breathing had calmed down and he was gaping at her, "Are you American?"

"Sort of?" Hana shrugged, "Okay… are you calm yet?"

"I'll calm down when you give me my bag back!"

"So, no. Not calm," Hana returned to Japanese. Her eyes trailed over Kagami contemplatively, "I'll give you your bag back if you agree to my deal. It's not even a bad deal! You're getting paid!"

"No," Kagami's answer was quick and to the point.

"What would it take for you to agree?!" Hana was close to tearing her hair out, "It's not even that big of an issue!"

Hana watched as Kagami's eyes trailed up to the net above her head. As he stared, a dark smile broke out across his face, "If you can get six points, I'll do it."

"So…" Hana blinked, "Three shots?"

"Three shots," Kagami didn't nod or anything, he just watched her with his narrowed eyes, "I'll guard you."

"…From anywhere?" Hana had to clarify. This wasn't exactly what she had planned… but things didn't seem to like going to plan anymore.

"If you can," He didn't look concerned and Hana bristled. Anywhere he said… I can work with that. The small smirk on her face went unnoticed by the irritable player and Hana pulled her bag to the front of her chest. Ignoring Kagami's objection, Hana unzipped it and retrieved the basketball. So that's why it was so lumpy!

Dribbling the ball in front of her, Hana gave Kagami a grin, "You swear?"

The tall player let out a huff, but Hana didn't look away. With an angry shake of the head, he agreed, "You have my word."

Instead of going for the goal beside them, Hana ran right past Kagami. She heard him gawk, but he was too late to stop her. Coming to stand at the shooting line, Hana hopped up and shot the ball straight through the net with a woosh. It dribbled on the floor a bit and she jerked forward to grab it. Behind her, she heard Kagami cursing, but she didn't care.

"Two points!" She turned around and gave him a sneaky grin, "Only four more!"

"That didn't count!" The boy marched up to her and tried to yank the ball back. Hana narrowly avoided him and stuck her tongue out, mocking him.

"You didn't say which hoop!"

"I didn't think you were an idiot!" The boy snarled back.

Deciding not to take offense, Hana continued to rile him up, "Technically, you're the idiot. Since you didn't clarify."

"Ugh!" Kagami finally grabbed the ball out of her hands. His eyes narrowed on her with a grimace and he stepped back a few feet. He went into shooting position and tried to put the ball into the net. Instead, it bounced on the rim before rolling away. Hana began to snicker, but a quick hand came up to cover it. She was about to retrieve it when it suddenly stopped bouncing.

"Hello," Hana froze at the familiar voice, "I hope I'm not interrupting."

"Great," Kagami huffed as he watched Kuroko hold the ball, "More of you."

Instead of responding, Kuroko moved his gaze over to Hana. When he spoke, his voice cut across the silence smoothly, "Imamura-san."

"Kuroko," Hana echoed. The change in title stung, but she shouldn't be surprised. The streetlight made his face angular and Hana was shocked at the simple change. It made him look so much older, more intense. Getting her wits about her, she nodded toward him, "Surprised to see you here."

"You as well," Kuroko blinked as he handled the ball, "It's been a while."

"…" Hana couldn't stop the guilt that crept up her spine, "Yeah, it has."

Kagami's red eyes travelled from Kuroko back to her, "You two know each other?"

"We do," Kuroko spoke in her stead, "We were friends back in middle school."

"Yeah," Hana echoed, suddenly feeling sick to her stomach, "Friends."

"Whatever," Kagami scoffed in the tense atmosphere. His red eyes went back to Kuroko and his weird eyebrows furrowed, "What are you doing here?"

"I'd been hoping to find you, Kagami-kun," Kuroko's face was the familiar blank mask and Hana watched him silently, "I hadn't expected you to be busy."

"We aren't," Hana and Kagami spoke in sync. The two shot each other looks; Kagami's irritated and Hana's exasperated. Ignoring him for now, Hana looked away with an eyeroll. She heard Kagami growl in the distance, but she didn't bother to respond now that Kuroko was here.

Kuroko's blue eyes traveled between the two, "I was wanting to challenge Kagami-kun to a game, if you don't mind, Imamura-san."

"No," Her voice felt faint and Hana cursed herself. She shouldn't be acting this way around him, she'd moved on for god's sake. Forcing her voice to sound steady, she continued, "I'll just go sit on the side."

"Don't think you're going to get your way," Kagami called after her back. In a normal mood, Hana would have responded with something cheeky, but she couldn't get her mouth to work with Kuroko around. Her tongue had dried up and laid unmovable in her jaw. Instead of speaking, she just raised a hand in acknowledgement.

As she made her way to the bench, Hana watched the two boys battle for dominance. They both ripped their shirts off… which frankly, Hana thought it was a bit too theatrical. She faintly heard Kagami mention something about smelling Kuroko and the image of him sniffing earlier came to mind. So, he was smelling him… figures. Of course, basketball players could never be normal.

As he stared the smaller boy down, Kagami twirled the ball on his finger before passing it to Kuroko. The blue haired boy caught it easily and came to stand in front of the hoop, ready to shoot. The ball left his hands…

…before it bounced away into the bushes.

That was when Kagami snapped. Kuroko went to retrieve the ball and the redhead snatched it out of his hands when it was offered back. They exchanged a verbal battle before Kagami grabbed the front of Kuroko's shirt collar and lifted him into the air. In reflex, Hana stood up.

"Hey!" her yell trailed off as neither boy turned to look at her. Kagami stared down at Kuroko with a snarl before barking something out about arrogance. In return, Kuroko didn't move. His blue eyes just peered into Kagami and Hana would bet money he was reading his soul. Or his mind… whatever his freaky ghost powers do.

Setting Kuroko down roughly, Kagami stalked toward his shirt. His parting words were filled with derision, "You should just give up basketball. No matter what you say, raw talent is a fact of life. You have no talent for basketball."

Hana felt her fists clench into themselves. Those words sounded too similar to the words she'd heard in the past. A mental image of Aomine came to rest of Kagami's face and Hana looked away toward Kuroko. At first glance, Kuroko appeared calm. It was when he spoke, that Hana could hear his underlying tension.

"I don't accept that," Kuroko walked up to stand behind Kagami and Hana watched him. His blue eyes were determined, "I love basketball and I don't share your opinion."

Well, that's the first I've heard about that… Hana trailed off as they continued to talk. Her mind was fixated on the last match she'd seen, when Kuroko had just turned away from the massacre. She was quick to judge, she knew that. But his silence on the matter had rang in her heart for the following days. She knew he didn't like the miracles play style… but she had never heard this type of firmness in his voice as he discredited it.

"I'm a shadow," Kuroko's statement interrupted her thoughts. When she looked back up, Kagami was watching him over his shoulder before lifting his bag higher. The redhead walked off without a second glance. In the back of her mind, Hana remembered he skipped out on their deal, but her emotions were too twisted to care.

The two past friends were left alone on the court. Hana eyed the large shadow behind Kuroko's back before offering a quip, "That was poetic."

"I hadn't meant for it to be," Kuroko turned toward her hunched form, "I apologize for interrupting your meeting."

"It's fine," Hana still didn't make eye contact with the boy, "It wasn't going anywhere. You probably got me out of trouble, in fact."

"Still," His head bowed toward her softly, "My apologies."

Offering a nod back, Hana bent forward and retrieved her backpack off the ground. When she straightened up, she hopped off the bench with a huff. Her legs directed her toward the gate before she glanced over her shoulder at Kuroko, "It's good to see you, Kuroko."

"You as well," his voice was gentle and Hana couldn't understand why. They hadn't left each other on the best of terms. If anything, she'd assumed he'd ignore her presence.

Deciding not to respond, Hana began to walk toward the gate. A quiet call sidetracked her and she turned her head back around to Kuroko. In her distraction, the boy had moved closer and was about a foot away from her. Hana did her best not to jump.

"I understand what you were saying when you left," His eyes were locked on the ground and Hana had to stomp the urge to comfort him, "I'm regretful I didn't see it sooner."

This time, a sardonic smile pulled at her lips, "You did see it… But, they were your friends. It's hard to accept ugliness when it comes from people you love."

"You were our friend too," his eyes came up from the ground to connect with hers, "If you could accept it, I would like to return to that friendship."

Glancing to the sky, Hana let out a huff, "It never left, idiot. You think it didn't kill me to avoid you all? Looking back on it, it's stupid. We'd hardly known each other long enough for such a strong bond."

"…" Kuroko remained silent, thinking over her admission. A blush wanted to work its way up her cheeks at her honesty, but Hana pushed it down. Kuroko deserved her honesty, like she had deserved theirs. The ghostly player finally broke the silence, "I once said bonds were easily broken, but I regret my words now. There are some bonds that cannot break."

"You've become poetic," Hana drawled to ease her nerves. This encounter was leaving her frazzled, "You should sell a book."

The slight tilt of Kuroko's lips was subtle, but it was there. He began to walk past her, but turned around at the last second, "I'll see you tomorrow, Imamura-san. Please get home safely."

"Will do," Hana's retort didn't have the bite she'd been expecting, "See you tomorrow, Kuroko."

The cling of the metal gate signified his departure and Hana let out a long-suffering sigh. What the hell was that? She kicked at the pavement as she moved toward the gate. Stupid, flowery language. Can't tell what the hell he means… What was that about bonds? Why weren't the rest of the miracles with him? Her mind was working in circles as Hana tried to piece through the decoded message Kuroko had left her.

Despite it all, her heart felt content.

Until she remembered Kagami bailing out on their bet. Now, that must be fixed.


Reviews:

ADDBaby: Awh! No tears! Anyway, thank you for your wonderfully humorous reviews! I love them.

Wanderess: I'll try to update as much as possible, but schools about to start back up so they'll go back down… Anyway, GoM will be here soon! I promise!

FrizzleChicken: Ah, yes! New light and new attitudes! Unfortunately, I know the Seirin oc is overused... it's just the best way to get them involved in the plot! I'm going to try and change things up because rewriting the series is just… well, boring. But thank you for your belief in me, it means a lot! Anyway! Thank you for another great review! And Hana will be confronting at least one of the Gom, sooner or later!

Naliyu: Thank you! That was super sweet! Also, the sparkles were totally based of Gai. I love that man. Thank you, again!

ArchimedesAckermann: Yep! Kuroko has returned! Speaking of Hanamiya… he'll come back sooner or later—you were totally right to be worried. Thank you for another great review!

CrystalViolet24: Awh, I'm glad it's your favorite! I love hearing stuff like that… I'm always so worried I'll put something out that people don't like. And second string is not gone! They will return! Thank you for your amazing support and review! I love them both.

Roseheart37819: Thank you thank you! I love Uoya too, and I can't pronounce his name either. And she will… manipulating people is a steady part of her foundation hahah. If I ever need help, I promise I'll come to you! Thank you so much!

LittleArisu: yes! Thank you!

AngelicHallows: I feel bad, but every time you say you get emotional, I get so happy. I love that people feel emotions reading this! Again, thank you for another awesome review!

JustCallMeWhatever: Thank you and I'm glad you enjoyed last chapter!