I can't feel my fingers, send help. Anyway, this is an insanely long chapter and I'm sorry. It also took forever, but my muses were not cooperating and I spent weeks going through flashes of writers block. I... I don't know if this is okay because I'm half dead and I've reread it like five time but it just keeps getting blurrier. Opps! Anyway, yay! New chapter! Yay! Final question before I go, do you guys want shorter chapters? Someone told me the length was a little excessive and I just wanted to check in with everyone. (The revised chapters one and two will be posted tomorrow)

Warnings: Bad language, violence, and sleepy editing where I probably spelled so many things wrong.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke.


Acknowledgement

Part II

Seirin 46 versus Shutoku at 58.

Her poor heart couldn't take this.

Adrenaline and desperation flooded her veins, and Hana pushed herself forward to watch the game even closer. The score was way too damn close. Each mistake felt like the last one and when Kagami started to overexert himself, again, Hana had to stand up and pace.

"If this keeps up," she twisted on her toes and stalked back toward her teammates, "I'm going to be ten years short on my life span."

Getting a muted nod of agreement from Furihata, she turned back to the court. Her eyes zeroed in on Kuroko and she watched her friend as he faced off against Takao again. Whatever he'd planned to combat Takao's hawk eye hadn't come into play yet and she was on the edge of her patience waiting to see the effects.

The ball traded hands, going from Hyuuga to Kagami, finally reaching its designated target of Izuki before it was shot into the net. Offense switched to defense and Kagami went to block Midorima, his legs shaking at the continued exertion. Midorima took the shot— come on Kagami!

"He did it!" Hana cheered when the ball was forced out of Shutoku's grasp and into Hyuuga's waiting hands. She paused, squinting at the court, "How the hell did he do that?"

Riko answered her question without looking away from the game, "He switched feet. He won't be able to keep up long, but it's the best we can do right now."

"What happens when he gives out?" Koganei leaned over Kawahara's shoulder to address the coach, "Was it really a good idea to put him back in? Won't they figure it out?"

"That's the plan," Riko brought her whistle to her mouth in thought before explaining, "If we can convince them to focus on Kagami-kun… then it allows Kuroko-kun to play."

I don't know about that plan… Hana sighed before shaking the negativity off. It's Kuroko, he can do the impossible all the time. She still couldn't stop the doubt that hung in her chest though. It just seemed too farfetched to accomplish the win today. Midorima's so much stronger than I remember.

During her thoughts, the game play picked back up. It fell down to another show off between Kuroko and Takao, the blue haired boy swiftly dodging through Takao's awaiting arms. With a spin, Kuroko palmed the ball in his grasp before he brought a hand back and firmly slammed his palm into the awaiting ball.

It shot through the air, right into Kagami's awaiting hands.

The resulting two points felt like a religious awakening.

"I know that pass," Hana breathed, collapsing back into her position beside Koganei, "He used it back in Teiko. It's… it's pretty crazy. I almost can't believe Kagami caught it," Hana trailed off as she watched Kagami move to the opposite side of the court, "But at the same time? Yeah, I totally get it."

Her teammates frowned and Furihata leaned toward her in curiosity, "What are you talking about, Imamura-chan? What was that pass?"

"Dunno," she shrugged, resulting in a synchronized deadpan. Shooting her teammates a halfhearted glare, Hana continued, "I mean I know what it is, but I don't have a name for it. All I know for sure is he only ever used it with the Generation of Miracles, and as Aomine once said, it hurts like a bitch."

"Aomine?" Koganei's eyes grew wide, "I've heard that name before. Wasn't he one of Kuroko's old teammates?"

"Mhmm," Hana sighed before looking back out to the court. The score ricocheted up and now Seirin was only behind six points with four minutes left on the clock. Licking her lips, she returned her attention to Koganei, "He— I guess if you wanted a close comparison, just take Kagami and add about five layers of douche bag on top of his already stellar personality."

There I go again, Hana scoffed, bringing up old memories. It was starting to grow on her last nerve. She didn't want to think about the Generation of Miracles, not at all, but she just couldn't freaking stop. Whatever happened, there was a convenient comparison with their names stamped on it. Even Akashi was popping into her mind now and then whenever she thought about possible strategies.

The worst part of it all was that it hurt, but not in the way she expected. Well, yes, it still pissed her off and made her want to riot, but there was a new tinge to her thoughts. She didn't know how to classify it and it drove her up the damn wall. It was like… that feeling when one of your limbs falls asleep? Like something was supposed to be there, yet she couldn't identify what it was.

Screw this. Bringing both hands to her eyes, Hana scrubbed at the dryness accumulating in the corners.

She'd figure this shit out after the match, now wasn't the time.

Time passed by slowly and two minutes later, Shutoku was calling for a time out with Seirin hanging on a thread, only two points behind. Another session of planning and straight up hoping passed before both teams moved back onto the court. When everyone cleared out, Hana's legs picked up their nervous tempo, making the whole bench jolt with the nervous movement.

"So, they figured us out," Riko sighed when Shutoku implemented their new strategy, continuously shooting three-pointers and working on the advantage of Kagami's exhaustion, "It's all up to Kuroko-kun now."

"Thirty seconds and a five-point gap," Koganei frowned as fisted his hands on top of his knees, "It's getting close."

"I can't watch," Hana covered her eyes for a millisecond before peering out again, "But I can't not watch. This is too damn dramatic for a sport."

Everyone was sweating, panting, all out struggling for breath. The exhaustion wasn't only on Kagami's shoulders, but on the full court, Shutoku included. Fifteen seconds left and it's our ball. Hana hid her face in Koganei's shoulder, only allowing her left eye to observe the match. She couldn't take it. We only need three points.

Hyuuga got the ball midcourt. He shot. He scored.

That's our three points!

No one had a chance to cheer before the ball was back into Midorima's waiting hands, his face shadowed by determination. Removing her head from Koganei's shoulder, Hana jumped to her feet with a vengeance. Something isn't right— Then it happened. Kagami jumped and Midorima faked, sending the red head to the ground.

"It's over, we're done—" She slammed her eyes shut only to pop them back open at Riko's excited squeal and she blinked back into the match just in time to see the ball rolling off the court, "Did— how in the ever loving hell?"

"Kuroko-kun blocked it!" Riko grabbed her by the shoulders before pulling the shell-shocked manager into a tight hug, "We won! We won!"

"We…" Hana blinked and allowed herself to be twirled around, "We actually won?"

As cautious eyes crawled across the court, Hana's heart slowly returned to its original tempo. There was a suspicious buildup of water that clung to the corners of her eyes, but Hana refused to accept its presence, instead looking for the familiar head of blue hair who secured the win. A true smile pulled across her cheeks as soon as she saw him.

He looked so happy. It'd been a long time since Kuroko wore an expression that pure and Hana, well, she really wanted to keep it there. The tiny smile did wonders for his normally impassive face, lightening it up until Kuroko looked almost half his age. Even as the two teams lined up, the content air resting on his shoulders didn't leave.

When her teammates began to walk over toward them, Hana didn't hesitate like she did earlier. She really wanted to hug the hell out of Kuroko and, by god, she would. Breaking her embrace with Riko, she raced out onto the court, dodging past the amused faces of the upperclassmen before barreling into Kuroko a tinge too hard.

"You did it!" Hana wrapped her hands around his neck before letting out an echoing laugh, "You freaking did it, Kuroko!"

Her ghostly friend caught himself just in time, slipping a foot back to stop the fall from Hana's over exertion. A sweaty hand fell onto her shoulder in semblance of a hug before he spoke directly into her ear, his happiness clearly more subdued, "We did it."

"…" letting go almost as fast as she attacked, Hana took a step back and beamed up at him, "Who knew you were so kickass, huh?"

"It's a combined effort, Imamura-san," Kuroko nodded his head in thanks, cheeks still flushed from the game, "But thank you."

"No problem," she wasn't sure why she was smiling so obnoxiously or why her heart had kicked up her tempo, but she'd figure it out at home. In the meantime, she had someone else to congratulate. Spotting her target at the bleachers, Hana repeated her earlier tackle, "You did it!"

Unfortunately, Kagami didn't have enough energy to hold himself up from the assault and both teens were sent to the floor. The exhausted ace moaned before pushing Hana off his chest, "What the hell was that, Imamura?"

"A hug," she crawled off the ground, dusting off her shirt in mild embarrassment, "To be fair, I didn't expect you to fall."

Kagami didn't seem to appreciate her spontaneous act of love, "I wouldn't have if you hugged like a normal person!"

"What? I didn't do anything!" Hana gaped from above him, "You're just clumsy!"

"You tackled me to the floor!"

"You tripped!"

"How is that any different?!"

xXxXxXxXx

All their belongings were put together and the team was in the process of moving toward the dressing room. The boys were all exhausted and poor Kagami was only hanging on by a thread, his eyes practically closed. With the help of Riko, the two girls were herding the exhausted players toward the exit.

It was when they passed by Shutoku's side of the court that Hana's stupid feelings decided to act up again.

So, to be honest, it wasn't random. She'd been looking over the team, curious about Midorima's reaction to the outcome. I wonder if he'll accept it or not. Too bad that plan was seemingly for naught because wherever she looked, she didn't see hide or hair of the shooter. The realization made her emotions give another annoying ping.

I'm getting really tired of this. Even though her thoughts lamented the new phenomena, Hana couldn't stop her feet from pausing. I'll just… check in on him. Make sure everything's okay.

"Hey," her tone was uncharacteristically distracted, and as such, most of the team turned to give her their attention, "I'm going to uhm… I need to look for someone."

"What?" Hyuuga stared at her like she'd grown a second head, "Who could you possibly—"

Hana cut him off, standing on her toes to scan the enormity of the court, "Midorima. Don't ask, I just— I don't know, I want to talk to him."

"You can't do it later—"

"Nope," this time Hana turned to address her whole team, offering everyone her most determined face, "I need to do this. It's going to piss me off until I figure this out, so I've got to go."

"Who are you and what'd you do with Imamura?" Kagami grunted from his resting place against Mitobe's shoulder, "He's not even out here."

The rest of her team seemed to echo Kagami's confusion, except for one. The look Kuroko was giving her could only be described as understanding and maybe a touch sympathetic. The blue hue of his eyes softened and while he still looked a bit perplexed by her sudden decision, he clearly understood the point she was trying to make.

"Please tell Midorima-kun hello for me," Kuroko nodded his head before continuing his path to the dressing room. "Come on, Kagami-kun. You look silly standing there."

"You're just going to accept that—" Kagami gaped after the smaller player, but Mitobe began to move and Kagami was forced to follow along.

Letting out the breath she'd unconsciously been holding, Hana turned her attention to her coach. Riko stood beside Hyuuga and both upperclassmen wore expressions of consideration. Hana knew they couldn't force her to stay, but she was trying to be the bigger person here and ask permission before wandering off for once. In honor of our win, I will not be an asshole.

"Alright, Imamura-chan," Riko nodded once in finality, "We'll see you later okay? Try to meet back up with us out front."

"…" Hana was already moving, hastily tossing her reply out before speeding out the nearest exit, "Thanks, Riko! See you soon!"

The remaining team members looked between each other. Some wore expressions of continued confusion, while others seemed to have picked up on the undertone of Hana's actions. Hyuuga stared after the manager's back before letting out a defeated sigh.

"They sure do have a weird dynamic. All of them, Kuroko included," Hyuuga looked toward Riko for help, "Do you think we ever acted like that?"

"I don't know," Riko shrugged, but there was a secretive smile pulling at the corners of her lips, "It might just be Imamura-chan."

In a flash, Hyuuga narrowed his eyes on the coach. He knew that look, "What's that face for?"

"Nothing, nothing!" Riko let out a guiltily laugh before holding both hands up, "Just girl stuff!"

"Girl stuff? What kind of girl—"

"I said it was nothing!"

Meanwhile, Izuki hummed to himself. Something about this little situation seemed familiar. His head tilted in thought before he pulled up the memory he'd been searching for, "Ah!" when the focus turned onto him, he scratched at the back of his neck, "Sorry, just remembered something."

Hyuuga frowned, "What did you remember?"

"Well," Izuki lifted his shoulders in a miniscule shrug, "Imamura-san did say she was going to catch them all."

A pause.

"…" Hyuuga twitched before a strained smile pulled across his lips, "She wouldn't plan something like that."

Another pause.

"Right?"

The captains only answer came from the crickets that suddenly filled the air.

x


x

She was too damn impulsive.

The corridors were filled with attendees, all pushing and moving toward the exit, and Hana merged along with them, eyes perked for the sight of the gangly shooter. You'd think it'd be easy, but so far, it'd been for naught and a prickling of doubt nestled into her chest. Green eyes scanned over the assembled crowd one more time before Hana let out a stilted sigh.

Okay, this was a stupid decision.

Just because she'd had some crazy, spur of the moment idea didn't mean she needed to act on it.

Pausing in her steps, Hana stopped in the middle of the hallway before tugging her lip into her mouth. Sure, a part of her wanted to complete her promise of getting Midorima to acknowledge her, but the other part cautioned her with memories of his indifference. That wouldn't be fun.

Seriously, for such a reserved guy, he had a killer glare. It was like Medusa or something. Did she really want that directed at her… again?

Yeah, no. This was an asstastic idea. Shoulders heaving in an imitation of relief, Hana spun on her heel and began to march back the way she came. Compared to all her failed plans lately, this split decision had to be the best.

The long-awaited acknowledgment could come later, when he'd cooled off.

Besides, technically it wasn't cowardice, it was strategy.

She could talk to him over the phone or something, you know, when she had a chance to rehearse what she'd say. Yeah, that's a good idea. A wonderful idea. The best thing she'd ever thought of! Smile growing into a full out grin, Hana twisted around the corner, following after the couple in front of her.

Now, in her own words, this was when shit went wrong.

In all her life, Hana thought that Kuroko would be the sneakiest little shit she'd ever meet. It might be a close second with Kise, but anyway, she thought she could handle deviousness pretty well. Figured she had a knack for it or something.

Well, she was clearly underestimating how much the universe liked to screw with her.

Because, as she turned that innocent corner, smiling at the congratulatory text from Uoya, she bumped into the last person she ever wanted to see again. Or, to be more specific, number four of the top five people she never wanted to see again.

"Umph!" as her nose collided into his back, the boy tripped forward, arms waving out to regain his balance, "Hey! Can you watch— Imamura-chan!"

"…" You've got to be kidding me. She wasn't doing this. With a resigned sigh, she stepped to the side to avoid her new adversary, "No. I've had enough of you."

For a moment, Hana permitted herself to believe that Takao was going to heed her wishes. He didn't make a sound and allowed her to pass by, which should have been her first clue. Yet instead of being cautious, she let out a sigh of relief and continued her walk down the hall, blissfully free of annoying point guards.

At least until a voice chirped beside her few steps later, "So, you haven't seen Shin-chan, have you? I lost him when he ran off earlier."

"Can't help you there," clicking out of the messaging app and replacing her phone, Hana pinned her most intimidating glare on the rival player. It didn't have the desired effect, "Stop following me."

Tutting, Takao tucked his hands behind his head, but not before flashing her a wounded look, "So mean. Where's the sportsmanship?"

"Game's over, I don't give a flop about sportsmanship," she ceased walking to pinch the bridge of her nose. The feeling of Takao in her personal bubble started to grate on her nerves and Hana sighed, attempting to regain politeness, "Sorry… It's great seeing you, again, but damn— what will make you go away?"

Well, that was still pretty rude. At least it was nicer than her current thoughts.

"Help me find Shin-chan?" the grin Takao pulled shimmered with too many teeth. Honestly, she should have known something was up from the get-go, "It's what you were planning on doing anyway~"

She didn't move, only narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "… how the hell?"

"You're kind of obvious, Imamura-chan."

Oh bull! "I was literally just walking!"

"Awh, there's no need to deny it," Hana wasn't sure how he did it, but Takao managed to scoot even closer before tucking a sly arm around her shoulder, and damn, he didn't look that strong! In the next second he was leading her down the mess of the stadiums hallways, "I saw the way you were looking at him. It was all over your face~"

She tried to dig her heels into the flooring, but it was no use, "He looked pissed— Stop pushing me!"

"Nah," Takao chuckled and Hana felt his body vibrate from the motion, "I think it was more like he was trying not to cry. You know, this was—"

"The first time he ever lost," she cut him off with a huff, "I know."

The laughter stopped for a moment and Hana had the feeling Takao was about to gift her with an unwelcomed insight. She was right, "He's a pretty sensitive guy, but you knew that don't you, Imamura-chan?"

Sensitive isn't quite the word I'd choose… Bewilderment steadily replaced her irritation and Hana squinted in consideration, "I guess—"

Takao continued on like she hadn't even spoken, "So you can get why I'm kind of worried about him. I don't really know how to comfort him though— never had a problem with losing, but you," Takao's arm tightened over her shoulder, "… You understand!"

"See, I don't like where this is going—"

"You knew how he was in middle school," Takao tugged her down a corridor with a suspicious amount of accuracy. Something's off about this, "You and Kuroko-kun, both. Anyway, be nice, he's gentle."

Hana gaped, "What—"

Takao jerked to a stop, removing his arm and placing both hands on her shoulders. Another bout of manhandling later and she was facing the main exit hall of the stadium, but more specifically, Midorima's lanky figure. From her position, it appeared the boy was speaking into his cellphone, but she couldn't be certain.

They stopped about fifteen feet away before Takao quickly pulled her deeper into the shadows. Removing a hand from her shoulder, the conniving point guard motioned to his friend, "You should talk to him, Imamura-chan!"

For a moment, she just stared. There was a pun about fate rolling around her head, something about how you can't escape it or some shit, but she paid it no mind. Specifically, because she'd definitely be escaping this fate right the hell now.

"Nope," Hana tried to turn, but found Takao conveniently standing in the way. At the guiltless expression gracing his face, she hissed, "I don't know how, but I know you planned this shit."

"I wouldn't—" He cut himself off when Hana took a step closer. Eyebrows raising at the silent threat, Takao backpedaled, "Okay, I may have overheard a bit of your conversation, but I didn't plan it specifically."

"Really," voice dropping into a snarl, she motioned toward Midorima's position, "I just happened to conveniently run into you? You—" a beat of silence passed before she gasped, "You followed me out here!"

"No, I really didn't!" taking a step back, Takao tried to project his innocence through a peaceful grin, "It was seriously just luck!"

"Luck my ass," Hana let out a soft scoff, "This is mutiny."

"You were going to do it anyway—"

"On my own terms!"

"There's no better time than the present~"

"Oh, cut the crap— you— wannabe cupid!"

"Are…" Takao tilted his head in a distinctly puppy-like manner, "Are you insulting me?"

Oh, my god. She was five seconds away from tearing her hair out, "Yes!"

Instead of listening to whatever half-assed excuse that was bound to come out of Takao's mouth, Hana brought both hands to her eyes and quietly moaned. I'm not ready for this. Spreading her fingers apart, Hana peeked through the gaps to look back at Midorima. Even just that speedy glance had her wanting to retreat.

"Look," she lowered her voice into a careful whisper, "I get your trying to do what you think is the right thing— I think— whatever. Anyway, trust me, this isn't the right time!"

Takao merely raised an eyebrow, "Why not?"

"We just beat you," Hana blinked, giving him her best 'are you serious' look. "What part of that says: Let's be friends again?"

"You make it sound so serious," Takao pulled a frown, spending a moment looking considerate before grinning, "All you need to do is go say hi!"

It's like talking to a hamster. Hana scrubbed her hand down her face, "… I feel like you're underestimating this."

Bringing his hands behind his head, Takao hummed, "Underestimating what?"

"All this!" This time, Hana did yank on a piece of her hair in frustration, "You've been talking about our feelings for each other, but you don't seem to register how that fits in with this! I'll mess up, I'm still pissed at all of them and I don't want to hurt him—"

"You said him," eyes lighting up at the involuntary slip, Takao latched onto the proffered hint, "Do you like, Shin-chan?"

"…" her mouth gaped open, "I didn't say that."

"But it was implied~"

"No— I didn't—" Hana stopped talking, thinking over her words before a groan crawled out of her chest, "That's not— I didn't mean... Damn it all to hell."

When she met his eye, Takao seemed just as shocked by her impromptu admittance as she was. His brows lowered into a thoughtful expression, "So, you do like him?"

"No!" Hana snapped, but backtracked a moment later, "Maybe! I don't know! My feelings are all screwed up from his attitude and the freaking game and then there's Kise and Kuroko too. All I know is I care…" she nearly bit her tongue off as her words registered, "…oh my god, no! I don't want to care!"

Have you ever just been slapped in the face? Well, it hurts. Which is exactly how her mind felt right now. She'd been confused with her feelings all afternoon and when she finally figures out what the hell was wrong with her, she goes and blurts it to the last person imaginable. Damn, she kind of wanted to die right about now.

When Hana gathered enough courage to peek at Takao's face, she wished she hadn't. No one should look that gleeful.

"Woah," Takao swallowed before managing a reply, voice almost respectful, "I'm guessing you didn't mean to let all that slip?"

I hope I'm reincarnated into an ant, they don't have to deal with this. While her mind curled up into a ball of shame, Hana barely accomplished giving Takao a fierce glare, "No, it's kind of a new thing… and if you tell anyone—"

She didn't know what she'd do, but it wouldn't be pretty. Most of her thoughts focused on bodily dismemberment or maybe kidnap. Hell, they'd both be effective in this situation.

"No worries!" Takao stared down at her, unpredictably serious, "So, that's why you didn't want to talk to Shin-chan? You don't want to hurt him?"

"Sort of." It'll be better to just get it all out and then kill him. She tried to force the blossoming blush off her cheeks, but it only grew with her next words, "It's… complicated. If you'd asked me before our game, I wouldn't have given a damn about his feelings, but now it's like— I want to rebuild that stupid, old bridge."

God, that sounded lame. What am I? A manga protagonist or something?

"Huh," Hana blinked at the noise. Meanwhile, Takao dragged a hand through his bangs, "So, why are you telling me this, Imamura-chan? I'm not the best guy with this romantic stuff—"

"Let's not go that far. It's not that serious."

Takao continued like she hadn't interrupted him, "— But I like Shin-chan… and you know what," a cunning grin grew on his face making Hana's hope for an easy life rot and die in her chest, "I like you too, Imamura-chan. So, I'll help! Promise it'll all turnout okay!"

He'll help? That didn't sound good.

Green eyes scanned over the point guard, watching his expression for any warning signs. From what she could tell, there wasn't any judgement or anger in his expression, but there were clearly several warning signs. The biggest one being the shit-eating grin spreading over his face. The second one was the unholy shine in his eyes. She didn't like either.

"Uhm, no?" Hana took a step back, on the edge of hysterical, "No, no you don't need to help. Please—"

He ignored her,instead choosing to step out of their hiding place and into the middle of the hallway. With a jaunt to his step, Takao waved his arms around almost wildly, drawing the attention of everyone around them, including Midorima. She'd never hated someone as much as she did in that moment. He's dead.

When he noticed the green haired teen's attention, Takao cupped his mouth with one hand and screeched, "Shin-chan!"

I'm going to pull out his vocal chords. Despite her violent thoughts, Hana felt her heart stop and one, poor hand reached out half-heartedly. All she wanted to do was grab Takao and yank him back into the shadows, never to be seen again. Meanwhile, Midorima focused in on his teammate with a level of exasperation Hana hadn't experienced before. What have I done to earn this shit!?

This was all going too fast. She wasn't ready for this! Don't people usually have more time to handle stuff like this? Seriously, life altering revelation shouldn't be rushed! Apparently her conscious disagreed and an annoying voice in the back of her head spoke up, you're being a coward, Hana-chan. It sounded disgustingly like Iseri and Hana decided she hated it.

Dammit.

"…" she groaned in the shadows, dragging a sweaty palm over her eyes. One last glance at Midorima before she pulled on her big girl panties and stepped out next to the Shutoku point guard. When she was close enough, she kicked Takao in the ankle, "Just so you know, you're on my shit list for the rest of your life."

"It'll be worth it," Takao smirked, but it drooped a bit when he noticed the tension radiating off Midorima, "… maybe?"

He didn't look angry, per say. His shoulders were tight and his movements were clearly restrained, so he was probably more annoyed than anything, but Hana would bet that Takao understood Midorima's moods better than her. So, when Takao started to look a little too pale for comfort, Hana could safely assume this had been a really, really bad idea.

Each step her former friend took felt like a death bell, signaling the end of her poor, mortal life.

Finally, the last bell tolled and he stood a few feet ahead of them.

"Takao," the pristine finish of Midorima's glasses flashed over, his head turning just enough to acknowledge his teammate, "What did you need?"

Woah. Annoyed Midorima had always been an interesting sight, but pissed Midorima was a tad more discomforting. She'd never paid much attention to how tall he was, simply because she usually had Murasakibara to compare him too. But next to Takao, who was only a few inches taller than herself, well, Hana damn well noticed how Midorima loomed over both of them.

"Hey, Shin-chan," Takao stiffened at the direct address before shooting Hana a pressing gaze and promptly throwing her under the freaking bus, "Imamura-chan really needs a ride! Do you think she could tag along?"

This time, Midorima did turn to look at her. The glare covering his glasses moved out of the way and Hana was pinned in place by his assessing look. Seconds seemed to turn into minutes until the spell was broken when Midorima brought a tapered finger up to lift his glasses. Whatever he found in her expression had him turning his back.

Well, Hana didn't particularly enjoy that.

Just because he was going to be rude didn't mean she had too, "Uhm. Hey, Midorima," she spared Takao a glance, catching his encouraging grin, "So, you did good today— you've gotten a lot stronger. Like whole court shots? Damn."

Maybe that was a bit too much ass kissing? Each second of silence that followed her statement seemed to be laced with lead. Finally, Midorima graced them with a response.

"I don't care if she comes," Midorima's voice ricocheted from over his shoulder, "But I'm leaving, don't dawdle Takao." He didn't make it very far before suddenly stopping, "Your team did well enough to win today, but it won't last, Imamura."

A compliment? Her eyebrows steadily rose to her hairline. Was that a compliment?!

"Was—" Hana broke herself off to gape after Midorima's back. Blinking a couple times, she finally managed to shout after him, "Was that like— okay, ignoring the threat part, are we okay? Are we going to actually talk now?"

She shouldn't have been surprised when he didn't answer.

What the hell is going on? Was that like a backwards form of approval? It sounded a little too threatening… Wide eyed and gaping, Hana spun around, looking helplessly at Takao.

"See," Takao threw his hands out in accomplishment, "You guys! You're all so dramatic! That wasn't hard at all."

We still haven't talked though. She slumped against the nearest wall, "I don't understand what happened."

"Heh," Takao let out a suspiciously toned giggle, "I'm pretty sure that was the acknowledgement you were so worked up about."

"Really? Cause it kind of feels like I just got slapped in the face," Hana admitted, bringing a hand up to her forehead with a longsuffering sigh. "His emotions are all jumpy. One second he acts like I'm a spec of dirt and the next he's complimenting me and acting all—" she motioned about wildly, "blah."

Another bout of laughter nearly sent Takao into hysterics, but he caught himself just in time, "Blah?"

"How else would you describe it?"

With ease Hana hadn't been expecting, Takao was grinning five inches away from her face, "Romantic tension?"

Her right eye twitched in warning, "Not the best time."

"You're right," Takao admitted before grabbing a hold of her arm and pulling her forward, "Come on, Shin-chan's probably waiting for us!"

"Woah, woah, woah," Hana snapped, barely keeping her balance as she was dragged ahead. His earlier explanation failed to register until now, "I'm supposed to meet back up with everyone! Jesus! Stop grabbing me so much!"

"I'm sure your team won't mind, Imamura-chan! Besides, I said I'd help!"

"This is kidnapping!"

xXxXxXxXxXx

Her life was a perpetual cosmic joke.

Poking at the wooden rail behind her, Hana pursed her lips. This is wonderful craftsmanship.

While she pretended to be a procurer of fine woodworking, the truth was that the atmosphere around her was just too awkward to accept. Though, it wasn't really the physical sense that had her nerves aflame. The night was dark and the clouds were bunching in the sky, forming an impressive display of fluff. Even the cart ride was enjoyable, if only for the fact she enjoyed watching Takao suffer.

No, it was her fellow passenger that caused her current discomfort.

Midorima sat directly in front of her, his back to the right side of the cart. In order to accommodate herself, he had tucked his legs toward his body and looked laughably uncomfortable. Still though, he refused to admit to the discomfort. Much like he'd been doing with everything else.

Other than a brief nod of hello, Midorima hadn't spoken to her since Takao shoved her into the cart. At first, Hana was thankful because it let her digest everything. But now, she was bored and she'd already examined every square inch of the cart that she could handle. Her mind flickered back to Takao's parting encouragement, You guys can talk! He can't run away now!

Turns out Takao was a pretty good helper, even if he was just doing it for his own entertainment. And, hell, she might as well take advantage of it.

"So," Hana readjusted herself until she could look Midorima in the face, "Wonderful weather we're having."

Both of his green eyebrows rose, "There is a ninety percent chance of rain for the evening."

"…" her cheeks heated before breaking eye contact.

"If there's nothing you need to say, there is no need for mindless small talk," Midorima brought one taped finger up to the bridge of his glasses. She twitched, smile cracking.

"Okay, so you'd rather I jump straight into it?" Hana let a bit of her temper bleed into her words, "Just go out and ask why you've been a giant asshole for the past week? Because I thought you'd prefer talking about the weather."

She swore the temperature of the cart dropped about ten degree's with Midorima's resigned sigh. Taking his glasses off, he rubbed them against his shirt before replying, "I have nothing to explain."

Her smile broke completely, falling off her face. Yes, you really do!

"There is so much to explain!" Hana scooted forward as much as she could in the cramped area of the cart, "I'd like to know what I did that pissed you off so much, because from what I remember… actually I've got nothing. I'm pretty sure I'm the one who's supposed to be pissed."

A dark sheen fell over his face, but Midorima turned his head before Hana could catch the full expression. Again, the cart fell silent, only interrupted by Takao's random, off-tune humming. A full minute passed with Hana listened to squeaking of the cart's wheels before she heard a light scoff. Raising her eyebrow, her green eyes met with equally bright twins.

"Did you just scoff?" Hana stared, pulling an affronted expression, "I'm trying to have a moment and you scoff… rude."

"Are you repeating the same spiel you gave to Kise?" Midorima replaced his glasses primly on top his nose, "Because your attempt for sympathy is lacking."

"Attempt for sympathy?" now, Hana was full out gawking, "I'm not— I'm trying to like, re-friend you! Stop being such a dick about it!"

Really, why did she care about these guys? Honestly, Kuroko was understandable, but the rest of them? No, not so much. But nooo, I just had to be stupid again. Bringing her hand up, Hana pinched the bridge of her nose. I hate this.

Taking a deep breath, she tried again, "I'm not trying to get sympathy. Jesus Christ, I'm not stupid. I'm just… just trying to figure this out. I get it, we aren't the same people we were in Teiko, but hell, I can't stop missing our friendship and it's stupid, but I'm trying here even though I really want to punch you all in the face—"

She cut herself off. Something she'd said during her speech resonated with Midorima because now the green haired shooter sported a bright blush. Scooting closer, Hana narrowed her eyes on his face, hoping to magically understand. The longer she looked, the livelier the flush became. What did I say now?

"You're blushing," her mind tried to piece together what was happening, but something wasn't clicking into place. Copying Takao's past movement, she pushed her face into Midorima's personal bubble, "Why are you blushing?"

"Im– Imamura!" Midorima leaned back at the close contact, emerald eyes widening, "What— it's nothing! S-sit back down!"

I will do no such thing! Hana upped the potency of her glare, "I just want answers!"

"It's warm, tha— that's all! Sit down!"

"I'll sit down when you explain what's going on!"

"This is unsafe!"

"Hey!" Takao yelled from ahead, dangerously swerving the bicycle that drove the cart, "Calm down! Shin-chan, just tell her you missed her too!"

With a yelp, Hana collapsed onto her ass, grabbing the side of the cart for dear life. A frantic glance at Midorima showed him doing the same before he quickly altered his expression into fury. Hana could agree with the emotion, but she'd rather her newest helper live to see another day.

"Okay!" Hana leaned forward onto her hands and knees, shakily flicking Takao in the back of the head, "We're behaving, now drive on the right side of the road."

"Thank you," Takao tilted his head over her a shoulder, a sunny grin gracing his features, "You're so nice, Imamura-chan!"

It would have been a kind gesture if Takao hadn't ruined the effect by his simpering wink. His angular face practically screamed mirth, thoroughly enjoying the awkward conversation going on behind him. For the millionth time that day, Hana cursed her mistake of opening her mouth anywhere near the unholy point guard.

Her face fell into a deadpan and, in childish retaliation, Hana flicked him in the head again, "Shut up."

Ignoring the resulting cackle, Hana fell back into her seat. She could feel the blush that dotted her cheeks, and with a glance toward Midorima, noticed him in the same predicament. Instead of making eye contact with her though, he turned his head toward the road and firmly crossed his arms over his chest.

"Soo," Hana drawled, rubbing one hand over her cheek to diffuse the evidence. Her tongue dried up, but she forced herself to press on despite the growing nerves, "You missed me? I mean, that's cool, makes this a lot less weird. You did right? Because this will be really awkward if you didn't because I kind of did—"

Causing the cart to creak ominously, Midorima turned toward her, raising one dubious eyebrow.

"Not like— I mean it's not a big deal," Hana continued to babble, now using her hands to display her point, "If you missed me or I missed you. Hey, who cares, right? It's all okay— no awkwardness here—"

Midorima cleared his throat, "Imamura—"

"I just wanted to talk about it you know, without all the jackass-ness," she waved a hand over Midorima's form, "What's up with that anyway? I totally get being mad, I'm always mad, but I thought it would have worn off by now. Why are you mad? What'd I even do?"

"… Imamura."

"Because if I did something I apologize— wait, no I don't. I don't even know what I did—"

"Ima—"

"Just tell me what I did!" Hana let out a long breath, struggling to regain her momentum, "I want to be friends again because I miss you, I think, and I can't do that when you don't tell me why you're such a grump! Like, come on, I'm trying here—"

"Imamura," Midorima finally succeed in stopping her ever growing montage and Hana slammed her mouth shut. With a long-suffering sigh, Midorima pinched the bridge of his nose, "Slow down, you fool. It's— the past is no longer important."

"I damn well beg to differ," she flinched a little at the glare he gave her, but pressed on, "I need to know so I don't do it again— whatever the hell it was."

And we have more silence! Whatever success she'd had in breaking Midorima's emotional barriers disappeared and Hana let out a groan. She was so tired of opening up and getting shut down, but, if he didn't want to talk, well, no point in forcing the impossible.

Meanwhile, Midorima returned to his vigil of the street. A layer of unease settled around the cramped space of the cart, not even broken by the odd stares they were receiving from fellow pedestrians. Even Takao had stopped his obvious humming, thank god. Finally, after seemingly eons of waiting, Takao broke the air with a long winded sighed.

"You guys are horrible at this," the black haired point guard didn't even turn around to look at them, simply choosing to shout over his shoulder, "Shin-chan's pouty because you left—"

Midorima snapped, "Takao!"

"It's healthy to share your emotions, Shin-chan!"

Hana's thoughts fizzled to a stop. Now, hold up.

Brow puckering, Hana pointed an accusing finger at Midorima, "Are we talking about back in Teiko? You're mad I left? I'm so not apologizing for that, friendship or not!"

"That's— that's not— Takao!" Midorima blustered about for a second, cheeks flushing and losing their color in repeated sequences, "It's nothing of the sort!"

"Oh, no you don't. We're finally getting somewhere," Hana moved from the left side of the cart to squeeze onto the right side, her body pressed up next Midorima's feet. She spouted off her next question with god-like speed, "Why did that make you mad? Just tell me—"

Midorima huffed, turning his head away from hers so fast Hana was surprised his glasses didn't fall off. Bringing his hands into his lap, both in tight fists, he glared at the back of Takao's head before spitting out a reply, "Don't let it go to your head. I simply assumed you intended to return."

"… What?" Hana had a feeling her face looked hilariously contorted due to her confusion, "What part of that implied I'd come back?"

"Nothing I'm sure," she swore if Midorima's face could make the expression, he'd be pouting right now, "As I told you, the past is not important."

With a scoff, Hana grabbed a fistful of her hair in frustration, "Uhm, kind of turning out to be pretty important right now. Man, that's why you've been so pissy? I can't fix that—"

"Obviously," his tone was derisive and he still refused to turn her way, though from what she could see, his ears were painted red.

"Don't get snappy," Hana huffed, slumping against the side of the cart. The hell do I do now? Closing her eyes, she took a leap of fate and did what she did best, wing it. "Look, I can't fix that shit. Sorry it hurt you, but I'm not sorry I left. You guys sucked major ass."

The cart swerved with the noise of Takao's surprised grunt. Huh, forgot you were there for a second. Instead of paying attention to the third-wheeler, Hana focused on Midorima, watching the way his back straightened in defense.

"But," Hana raised her voice to cut off whatever scathing remark he planned to deliver, "This is now. You were right, the past doesn't mean shit. So, let's throw all that bull out the window, and in case I'm not being clear enough, I'm extending the hand of friendship. Dear god, please take it. I cannot deal with anymore rejection—"

"…"

"It's a yes or no question, seriously."

Head tilting a bit toward her, Midorima pierced her with a calculating look. He didn't answer verbally, she wasn't really shocked at that, but he did nod his head in slow agreement. With that simple movement, all the tension eased out of her body and Hana let out a relieved chuckle. Success!

"This doesn't change anything," Midorima finally spoke, "Your whole argument was pointless."

"Whatever you say, but man, thank the lords. That was annoying," she laid a hand on her forehead, taking a moment to enjoy the night time air. Everything's okay. Moving her hand down to cover her mouth and her growing smirk, she peeked at Midorima. She just couldn't resist, "Do we hug it out now? I feel like we need to hug it out—"

His answer was fast as lightening, "No."

"That's what I did with Kise though."

"Don't compare me to that idiot."

"It's just a hug—"

"No, Imamura."

Takao took away her chance to respond by obnoxiously clearing his throat. When the back of the cart silenced, their driver took that moment to voice his own opinion, "You guys are ridiculous. Now that that's over, can we go eat? I've been biking in circles for twenty minutes and my feet really hurt."

x


x

The happiness she felt was similar to finding a mirage in the desert.

The little restaurant looked like a godsend. It's sign lit up in the darkness of the night, broadcasting a warm orange glow of happiness. Even the old wooden doors radiated home and Hana smiled at the scrumptious smell that wafted out of the doors. Unfortunately, the beautiful spell was broken when a loud rumble came from the head of the cart.

"Man," Takao rubbed his stomach, jumping off the bicycle, "I'm starved!"

Wrinkling her nose, Hana tried to gracefully descend from the back of the cart. A few minutes ago the rain had finally began to fall from the sky and she glared up at the menacing looking clouds. All of their little group now had a sheen of water clinging to their hair, and in Midorima's case, dripping down their glasses.

"Well," Hana nudged Midorima in the side as soon as she was safely on the ground, "Looks like you were right about the weather."

"Of course," Midorima replied smugly, wiping a hand through his damp hair, "Oha-Asa is never wrong."

A pause, "There is no way in hell your horoscope warned you about rain."

Midorima looked down at her in disbelief, probably ready to correct her lack of belief on his beloved horoscopes. But, luckily in Hana's opinion, the sky broke out into a bright display of lightening followed by a booming echo of thunder. In sync, the little party turned to look behind them, all eyes growing wide at the encroaching storm cloud.

It was unanimously decided that they should all hurry up and get the hell inside.

Takao of course got there first, stomach grumbling the whole way, "Sir, do you have room for three—"

He broke off as Midorima walked in behind him and Hana behind Midorima, closing up the back of the pack. All three teenagers stood awkwardly in the door for a moment, trying to process what they were seeing. Meanwhile, all of Seirin and two surprise guests stared back at them with equally stunned faces.

"Woah," Hana whistled in the silence, peeking between both Midorima's and Takao's shoulders, "This is weirdly coincidental."

Unsurprisingly, Hyuuga broke his silence first, "Imamura?!" He gawked at her for a minute before turning his gaze onto the Shutoku players, "What are you doing here?! Where's the rest of your team?"

"We lost the upperclassmen while Shin-chan was crying," Takao was in the process of explaining, thankfully drawing the attention away from herself. With that, Hana decided to use the time to observe the rest of her teammates, gaze landing on Kuroko and Kagami, along with their surprise guests, Kise and Kasamatsu.

Meeting her eye, Kagami puffed up like a wet kitten, "You were supposed to come back!"

Not my fault man! Hana held her hands up just in time to coordinate with Midorima's embarrassed anger. The green haired shooter stared at the assembled group before turning on his heel, "We're going somewhere else."

With that, both Shutoku players were out the door, leaving Hana to stand in the middle of the room alone. As everyone continued to stare at her, I'm not a damn zoo animal, she brought a hand to her forehead, "One, two, thr—"

Not even three seconds later, Takao and Midorima were back into the restaurant, sopping wet.

"I'm guessing you're staying?" Hana raised an eyebrow, only to break out into a grin when Midorima glowered at her, "Calm down, grumpy ass. It's not that bad. We can get a table—"

In the background, Hana failed to notice the way Seirin and company gaped at her easy attitude to their former rival. Even Kuroko's eyebrows rose in slight surprise, but it was nothing compared to Kise's full out gawk. With all parties trying to understand what was going on, two things happened at once.

One, Takao noticed Kasamatsu, "Hey! You're Kasamatsu-senpai!"

Two, Kise sat straight up and offered Hana a charming smile, "You can sit with us, Imamura-cchi!"

Hana didn't even have a chance to reply before Takao somehow convinced Kasamatsu to join him at Seirin's table along with the freshmen. This action left Midorima and Hana standing together, both still center heads of the attention. After everything settled, Hana looked at Kuroko and the Kise and Kagami duo, then to Takao and Kasamatsu's position.

The choice was easy.

Which was how Hana found herself sitting beside Takao with Kasamatsu on his other side. Leaning her chin on her palm, she looked back over to Kuroko's table, forever thankful with the wonderful choice she made. Poor Midorima was stiffly trying to get to his chair, while Kagami and Kise glared at each other and him respectfully, and Kuroko watched on eternally impassive.

"I'm surprised you aren't over there, Imamura-chan," Takao cut into his food, plopping a bite into his mouth, "I thought you'd want to see all your old friends~"

Poking at her noodles, Hana shot him a blithe look, "And be all around that tension? No thanks. Besides they're just going to do that thing where they stare at each other."

"S—s—stare at each other?" Kasamatsu's voice came from around Takao's shoulder, but his face was hidden from Hana's view, probably allowing him to better control his stutter, "Wha—what do you mean?"

"Look," Hana used a fork to motion toward the table of miracles, "Just look and watch."

All the table turned to watch the group of four, heads merging together in the center to get a better view. Like she said, all four boys were sitting stiffly in their seats, watching one another. Even Hana was surprised with their intensity. Is… Kagami even blinking? Dude.

Kasamatsu was one of the first to look away, giving Takao a knowing look, "You planned this, didn't you?"

Without wasting a second, Hana chirped, "You know he did."

A flustered Takao spoke at the same time, "No! Of course not."

"…" swallowing her food, Hana tilted her head to the right and gave Takao a pointed glance, "You're a terrible liar."

"Imamura-chan!" Takao brought a hand to his heart in faux betrayal, "How mean! Even after I helped you with—" he broke off with a strangled cough, "Ow."

Hana brought her drink forward, sipping unknowingly, "My bad, my foot slipped."

"Into my shin?"

"Opps."

At the Table of Overpowered Basketball Players

An obnoxious aroma of food circled around the group, all originating from Kagami's inhuman amount of plates. Kuroko lifted a piece of food to his mouth, large blue eyes watching his former teammates unblinkingly. To the left of Kuroko, the blonde copy-cat tried to put on a pleasant face, but nothing could hide the way he twitched at Kagami's every bite.

On the other hand, Midorima was doing nothing to hide his opinion, nose tilted into the air and his arms crossed tightly above his uniform.

"Oh, come on, Midorima-cchi," Kise raised two dubious eyebrows at the unhappy air surrounding the shooter, "I know losing sucks, but yesterday's enemies are tomorrow's friends!"

Eyes still closed, Midorima scoffed, "I just lost to him."

Bringing his elbow on top of the table, Kise rested his cheek on the palm of his hand. Golden eyes sharpened on his former teammate and a buttery smile sliced across his face, "But you're being so nice to Imamura-cchi. She's on Kuroko-cchi's team too."

That little taunt gained the attention of both Kuroko and Kagami. Kuroko paused with a bite of food inches away from his mouth, flicking his gaze between the two former miracles. Unlike his shadow, Kagami simply continued to eat, though his attention wavered between eavesdropping and digesting.

"That's none of your concern," Midorima snapped before opening his eyes and pinning Kise with a glare, "You already lost to them once, how can you stand sitting with them?"

"Can you blame me for being curious? I didn't think you two would make up so easily," Kise flicked his knife toward the two Seirin players in question, "And the answer's simple, I just won't lose next time."

"Bring it," Kagami cut into the feud with a mouth full of food, shark like grin stretching over his cheeks, "We'll be waiting."

Kise's eyes flashed toward Kagami at the direct challenge, golden flecks flickering in anticipation. Even Midorima tilted his head to the left, staring down at the red-headed ace in contemplation. Kagami's grin only grew into a smirk, perpetually clueless to the specks of food dotting his cheeks. Kuroko continued to eat.

"They're doing it again!" a poorly executed whisper caught all their attention, "They just stare at each other! They do it in the middle of the games too— and they're looking at me, aren't they?"

"Well, you're not exactly quiet, Imamura-chan," Takao leaned around the girl's shoulder and waved, "Hey, Shin-chan! Enjoying your food?"

Midorima didn't get a chance to reply before a small hand covered the point guard's face and pushed him back. Hana grumbled, "You don't understand the concept of personal space, do you?"

After that, the contact with their neighboring table was broken as Hana returned to her conversation with Takao and the stuttering Kasamatsu. There was a theatrical whine and suddenly all the table's attention was directed back onto Kise. His eyes were still sharp with the promise of retribution, but his lips were jilted into a frown.

"Why didn't Imamura-cchi sit with us?" His eyes flicked to Midorima accusingly, "She's awfully close with your teammate, Midorima-cchi."

Placing his utensil down, Kuroko offered his own insight, "Before our game she was complaining about Takao-kun, though her words were much less pleasant."

"Huh?" Kagami frowned, bits of unidentifiable mush hanging off his fork, "When'd that happen?"

"I believe it was around the time you two began to bicker again," Kuroko sucked on his drink, innocently blinking at Kagami's glare. Midorima raised an eyebrow at the new insight of information, quickly glancing toward the teammate in question before tuning back into the conversation.

With a huff, Kise pouted down at his empty plate, "Well, I don't like it. Imamura-cchi's making too many friends with other teams."

"Kise-kun," Kuroko blinked, "You're on a rival team as well."

"But I don't count!" Kise moaned, collapsing into his seat, but not without giving Takao a halfhearted glare when he caught sight of Hana's grin, "We knew her first."

Eyebrows hidden in his hairline, Kagami gaped at Kise, "The hell? What are you, her brother?"

"No," Kise was still pouting, but even with his lip protruding out, he somehow managed to look affronted. "I'm just worried! She's too nice sometimes."

"…" the whole table seemed to pause at the description, while Kagami voiced his opinion openly, "Nice? Bullshit."

"You're still an idiot, Kise," Midorima pinched the bridge of his nose with a disgusted sigh, "And I foolishly thought something about you had changed."

"Hmm?" Kise straightened up, leaning forward to meet Midorima's challenging look, "What do you mean, Midorima-cchi?"

"Your eyes…" Midorima spoke matter-of-factly, causing both Kuroko and Kagami to look toward the two, "They've changed."

Kise flailed backward, "My eyes? What about them?" he seemed to pause, thinking over his answer for second, "Huh, maybe it's because I've been practicing more since we played against Kuroko-cchi? It's been pretty fun playing basketball with Kaijo."

"It seems I'm mistaken," Midorima sighed, lowering his head in an expression of repulsion, "It seems you've simply gone back to your ways before our three championship wins."

The words sent a wave of shock through the table. Kise blinking at the disenchanting explanation, Kagami pausing, and Kuroko setting his drink down once again. While they were involved in another match of who's basketball is the best, all four boys missed the activity happening on the table beside them.

Meanwhile

"Don't do anything crazy," Kasamatsu warned, watching the food fly up into the air under Takao's guiding hands.

"Don't worry," Takao grinned, catching the monjayaki then flipping it once again, "I've got it under control. Don't you think— Imamura-chan?"

"Huh?" Hana barely spared Takao a glance, her head leaning so far to the left she risked falling out of the chair, "Yeah— yeah, you've got it."

Takao made an injured noise, "You didn't even look."

"Sorry, kind of busy," Hana leaned a little bit further, trying to hear Kuroko's response to Midorima's claim, "I'm eavesdropping. You should hear them… it's like a soap opera my mom used to watch."

"Huh, really?" Takao caught the food again, "I still can't believe you chose to sit here."

"What do you mean?" Hana finally turned away from her useless pursuit, tilting her head in Takao's direction, "I already told you it's too dramatic over there."

"Yeah—" He barely caught his monjayaki on the next throw and gave the table a sheepish look before continuing, "You mentioned Kuroko-kun and Kise-kun when we were talking though—"

Feeling a spike of alarm, Hana stiffened, "Don't."

At the tone, several curious heads rotated her way. No one understood what had caused her alarm and Hana damn well planned to keep it that way. If that plan included murdering Takao in cold blood, well, then so be it.

Takao didn't heed the obvious warning and instead continued down the path to his death, "Is it just three of them?" He flipped his food again and shot Hana an impish look, "Or all of them?"

"… I'll kill you." I mean it.

"I'm not judging," he caught the monjayaki and prepared to throw it, "Just curious! You know, I bet it's all of them—"

Poor Takao, he hadn't been prepared. The words were barely out of his mouth when Hana jolted her elbow into his arm, messing up the toss he'd been attempting and causing the food to fly sideways. The whole table fell into a hush as they watched it soar across the restaurant in a perfect arc, aiming for the unknowing target.

Splat.

It landed perfectly on top of Midorima's head, accentuating his green strands like a very soggy hat. With an unexpected synchrony, the table sucked in a dry breath and waited for the incoming outburst. Takao, in particular, started to shake with nervous anticipation, arms still raised in a showcase of guilt.

"Imamura-chan," Takao hissed the words from the corner of his mouth, "Why?"

Hana wasn't exempt from the apprehension, but she only shrugged, "I didn't plan that part… it just kind of happened?" Can't say I'm disappointed though.

Still wearing his new headwear, Midorima rose from his chair stiffly. Bright green eyes flashed across their table, grazing over her own face before landing on the obvious target. With fury shining in his eyes, Midorima moved from his chair toward their own table. As he was walking past, he called out his command.

"Takao, come here."

"…" Takao looked at Hana, sweat dripping down his brow. Whatever he expected to find in her expression wasn't there and, with a forlorn sigh, he followed Midorima outside the restaurant, "Sorry! I'm sorry!"

Their table fell into hushed silence again, but this time every eye was on her. The Seirin freshmen all wore various expressions of terror and even her upperclassmen at the neighboring table looked shocked. Well, Hyuuga looked a tad bit proud, but that was to be expected whenever someone got a well-deserved punishment.

"All I have to say is," Hana brought her drink back to her mouth, "He had it coming."

In the stillness, a soft snort escaped and Hana looked to the right. Her eyes widened when she saw Kasamatsu's shocked amusement, but when they made eye contact, the upperclassman swiftly looked away with a blush spreading all the way to his ears. Huh, I guess all captains like punishment. Kinky.

After a quick succession of loud thumping noises, Midorima walked back into the restaurant, smoothing out the ruffled appearance of his uniform. When he walked by Hana on his way to retrieve his bag, his eyes narrowed, silently telling her he knew of her involvement. Hana could only offer a shaky smile and hope he finished taking all his anger out on Takao.

Seemed she got lucky. Midorima rolled his eyes, moving past her without a reprimand. Hana emotionally cheered in relief while simultaneously listening to Midorima speak to Kagami, "There are two Generation of Miracles in this district, myself and Aomine Daiki. He plays in the same style as yourself."

"What?" Kagami tilted his head up to stare at Midorima, "I don't really get it, but he's strong, right?"

Award for understatement of the century, Hana clapped mentally. You go Kagami!

"He's strong," Kuroko ducked his head with his agreement, "But I don't approve of his style of play."

And there goes any lasting amusement from Takao's plight. Looking toward the shortest boy at the table, Hana's shoulder's slumped at his depressed air. Even if he hadn't told her specifically, it was obvious Kuroko didn't like to think about his former light and whenever he did, his mood darkened. I can't stand sad Kuroko.

So, she decided to break the tension.

Leaning across the alley way between the two tables, Hana tapped Kagami on the shoulder, "Unless you have a pair of boobs hidden in all that six-pack, he's going to dominate the court."

Okay, you guys don't have to look at me like that. Four heads of colorful hair looked at her in various degrees of discomfort, Kagami's the strongest. The big red-headed lug even had the audacity to cup his pecs in horror. Really?

"Don't judge," Hana merged back into her seat fully, "Momoi keeps me updated with her gossip; I know all your mortal weaknesses."

That didn't seem to comfort any of them except Kagami. The Seirin ace was now looking at her thoughtfully and Hana didn't quite know how to feel about that. Maybe we can trade? He'll finally be my bodyguard and I shall be his mentor in all things regarding the rainbow brigade.

"Okay," Midorima stared at her for a second, green eyebrows furrowed at the subtle threat she presented. He didn't comment though and instead walked toward the exit, throwing a parting out over his shoulder, "Well, I wish you luck."

"Bye," Hana called out after his back, moving her knife in an imitation of a wave. "It was good seeing you, text me or something," she raised her head to pin him with a probing look, "Or I'll show up at your school."

She did not go through all that damn trouble for their friendship to not blossom. No, this friendship was going to grow into a beautiful flower. If she had to show up at his school and hang out with Takao, she'd damn well do it. Maybe I can befriend the rest of his teammates too?

"Midorima," Kuroko stood after Hana finished her parting line and she flipped her attention toward him, "Let's play again sometime."

Midorima paused, sparing his former teammate a glance over his shoulder before nodding, "We will and I will win."

Okay, that was kind of heartwarming. Hana wouldn't admit to the admiring coo that wanted to surface, but she could still appreciate the bonding moment. It was just too bad Midorima wouldn't get to accomplish his promise.

Not if I have any say about it, Hana munched on noodle to hide her growing smirk. Sorry, Midorima, but none of you guys are going to be winning if I can stop it. She glanced to the left and met eyes with Kagami, his red ones narrowed in thought.

Well, what do ya know, looks like we're in agreement again.

xXxXxXxXx

"Kise," Hana poked at his shoulder, causing the arms wrapped around her to tighten, "Let go. My teams leaving."

"But Imamura-cchi!" Kise ignored her order, pulling her closer to his chest like a glorified rag doll, "I hardly got to talk to you! It's been so long!"

Ugh, stupid puppy dog face. With a grimace, Hana looked away. Even though his pouting was grossly over exaggerated, she still felt a bit of guilt and returned her attention back to Kise, "Sorry— uhm," she looked around for help, but the only person she knew in the area was Kasamatsu and he steadily avoided her gaze, "Okay, what are you doing tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?" Kise perked up and removed his arms from around her waist. Thank god, Hana breathed a sigh of relief before nodding. The golden-haired boy grinned, "I have a modeling shoot after school, but that's it."

"Uhm… do you," Hana slammed her eyes shut in a weird concoction of embarrassment and dread, "Maybe want to hang out afterwards? If it's not too late— maybe!"

"Yes!" That excitement can't be natural. Kise's smile could give the sun a run for its money and Hana had to take a step back in fear of going blind, "Where were you planning, Imamura-chan?"

She had to think about it a bit before finding a neutral answer, "The same place as last weekend?"

"The court off fourth street?" Kise tilted his head, the smile fading for a second as he seemed to think about the possibility, "That's not too far from my shoot, I could meet you there afterwards. Are we playing?"

"Playing?" Hana repeated dumbly before snapping her fingers, "Oh, basketball. Yeah, why the hell not?"

"Great!" Just as soon as she was free of the man chest, she was forcefully tugged back into it, face smushing against the ironed shirt. "I'll call you tomorrow, Imamura-cchi!"

Freedom! Hana was released and she took several big gulps of air, thankful to be free of the overpowering scent of aftershave. She didn't dare move until Kise was safely back in his seat next to Kasamatsu. When the coast was clear, she took a careful step back, watching him for any sudden movements. I prefer less lethal hugs, honestly.

"Looking forward to it," Hana took another step back, cautiously lifting her hand in the form of a wave, "I'm going to go now. Bye, Kise."

"Bye, Imamura-cchi!"

Even Kasamatsu chipped in, "G-g-oodbye."

Well, that was a step in the right direction. I wish he wasn't scared of me. Hana pouted as she ducked through the restaurants entryway, he's a pretty cool guy. Besides, he probably knows a lot of Kise's secrets… She hummed as she walked up behind her little group of teammates, nodding in greeting to Mitobe and Koganei. Speaking of Kise…

This little caring spiel sucked.

Normally, she'd have pushed Kise off the moment he'd hugged her, but nooo. No, now her emotions had to flutter all happily and be a little bitch. Scrubbing a hand over her face, Hana sighed. It was like the brotherly love she had with Uoya, but worse. She didn't want to see any of them upset, but at the same time, there was a level more to it.

She was definitely not going to examine that extra little umph her emotions had gifted the former members of the Generation of Miracles. Maybe someday when she had more patience and less desire to rip her heart out of her chest, then she'd look into that extra level of emotion. Maybe she'd even put a name on it.

But that day was not today.

Because today there was a dog.

"Dog?" Hana parroted, staring at the tiny husky puppy located in Riko's arms, "Is that a dog?"

Bringing the fluffly puppy to her chest, Riko spun around to face the manager. Her auburn eyes sparkled with an unholy type of joy and Riko grinned, "Kuroko-kun found him! Isn't he adorable, Imamura-chan?"

"Dog," Hana repeated, stepping through the mishmash of her teammates. Half a second later she was standing in front of Riko and bowing over to get a closer look. It's… so… "Cute? Like… disgustingly cute."

"Imamura-chan!" Riko brought the puppy closer to her chest, shying him from Hana's view, "Don't say it like that!"

Following after Riko, Hana came back to stand in front of the dog. It's big blue eyes stared at her and Hana stared back, slowly narrowing her eyes as the dog refused to blink. She reached out and poked its little wet nose, "Hello, dog."

Those blue eyes stared up at her, surrounded by a face of downy white fluff. A layer of black fur dotted along its back and Hana rubbed a hand over its heavenly soft head. The little pooch didn't move into the action, but it didn't growl either, so Hana assumed that was acceptance. It's so small… Nūdoru would eat it alive.

"Are we calling it dog?" Koganei spoke up in the background, "Please don't call it dog."

"We aren't calling it anything!" ever the practical leader of the group, Hyuuga stepped forward to enforce his opinion, "It'll just make it even harder to leave him!"

"We're keeping him," Riko hardly spared Hyuuga a glance before spinning on her toes, lifting the poor puppy into the air Simba style, "He's so cutee~ Wait," the coach held the puppy over her head for a second and squinted, "Doesn't it look like someone?"

"…" Riko placed the puppy beside Kuroko. One second passed, then another before the whole team shrieked, "Their eyes! They're just alike!"

"That's what we'll call him!" Koganei jumped forward with an outstretched finger, "Tetsuya number 2!"

And everyone told me noddle was a bad name.

Hana took a step back at that, blinking between Kuroko and the puppy. Both stared back at her, two sets of unmoving eyes peering into her soul. A slow sweat worked its way down her spine and Hana shook her head, "I know that's supposed to be cute somehow, but I'm a little creeped out."

The puppy turned to her at the sound of her voice, ears drooping against its head and those big turquoise eyes seeing right through her. It's still creepy, Hana narrowed her eyes into slits. No amount of cuteness will fix this— the puppy let out a little bark and she promptly melted into a pile of goo.

"Okay," she sniffed in false consideration, "I guess the similarity is kind of cute."

Attention went back to the puppy, with even Hyuuga kneeling down to examine its petite face. With all the focus on the tiny canine, Hana moved toward Tetsuya Number One. There was a tiny smile on Kuroko's face as he stared down at the puppy and when Hana popped up next to him, she was able to receive the remnants of it.

"So," Hana motioned toward the puppy, "Are you keeping your name sake?"

"I believe so," Kuroko's brow furrowed for a moment, "Although it may be expensive."

Hana shrugged, kneeling down beside the box the puppy was placed into, "I've got a couple toys Nūdoru won't use. I think there's an extra leash somewhere too," she reached a hand out to rub at its amazingly soft ears again, "And a bed he outgrew— it kind of stinks though, so that's up to you."

Kuroko's eyes softened minutely as he watched, "Thank you, Imamura-san."

"No problem," Hana apparently found a sweet spot behind the puppy's ear as it tilted its head for easier access, "We can have puppy play dates or something. I hate going to the dog park alone."

Her blue haired friend stilled before offering a heartfelt reply, "That would be nice."

"Sweet," Hana peeked up at him over her shoulder with a bright grin, "Can't wait. Nūdoru needs to socialize anyway— can you believe people are scared of him? No one ever lets their dog play with him and I know he gets upset, hell, I get upset for him."

Without waiting for a response, Hana joined the rest of team in pampering number two. The puppy was practically basking in the attention, little tail wagging a mile a minute and the similarity to Kuroko made the whole thing even more adorable. This much cuteness should be illegal, Riko's going to spontaneously combust.

"Huh," speaking of Riko, the coach straightened up and looked around the group, "Where's Kagami?"

It took a bit, but eventually a shaky voice responded. When the focus landed on the voice, it was only to find Kagami curled into a space much too small for his size. His normally ferocious eyes were tinted in apprehension and Hana followed the line of his sight… only for her gaze to land on the puppy.

"I'm over here," Kagami continued with a strained smile, "Sorry— but I can't really handle dogs."

What is this I'm hearing? Hana perked up and leaned around her teammates shoulders. When she caught Kagami's gaze, she raised a devious eyebrow, "Dogs?"

There still was the issue of Kagami's misbehavior during the last game, a fact that hadn't been rectified yet. Hana trailed her eyes away from Kagami to meet the gaze of an equally mischievous looking puppy. Apparently, the tiny pooch didn't approve of Kagami's behavior either. We are going to get along fabulously little man.

"Imamura—" Kagami's eyes widened at the subtle undertone lacing her actions, "Don't even think about it."

The only thing Hana could offer was a smile.

Right before she picked up Nigō and marched toward him.

x


Reviews! (These are going to be shorter because it's three o'clock in the morning, I'm sorry)

Sharmi999: Thank you!

Dragfilla: I'm glad you liked it! Thanks!

AngelicHallows: I'm happy I caught you off guard, that's always fun! I'm also really glad everything is flowing smoothly and merging with the anime. One of my biggest worries right there! And for the shipping, dude, ship away! You could ship her with anyone and I really wouldn't mind! Thank you for another great review, I love how in depth you go and how you mention everything honestly. It really helps encourage me, so for that, thank you so so so much!

Jesus Amelibia: Thank you!

Procrastinatingismyforte: I'm so happy to hear that, thank you! That's wonderful praise!

Frizzle Chicken: Welcome back! I missed you! I'm glad to hear you still enjoy the story! It makes my day, so thank you for your wonderful reviews and commentary. You rock!

TheParadoxicalOxymoron: I accept being a baby chickling, they have no responsibilities. It'd be the life man. Anyway, I totally feel you on last chapter and I kind of feel the same with this one. I'm trying to build the romance aspect and it's proving to be difficult with all the internal conflict that needs to be solved. But thank you for leaving me a review! I appreciate the honest commentary.

Nicole Nighlock: Thank you!

Yueres De Leo: Can I freak out for a bit? Because your once piece story was one of the first I ever read and I'm actually freaking out because ahhh. Thank you for such a nice review, it means so much to me! Thank you, again and again!

Elys: I'm glad you liked it enough to read it in one day, that's some high praise! Thank you for taking the time out of your day to leave me such an awesome review, it definitely brought a smile to my face. I love hearing such wonderful stuff!

Saltqueen: No problem! And thank you for reading!

NotAnnie: Tsuchida doesn't get enough recognition, he needs some screen time! But your totally spot on. Thank you for your review!

CrystalVixen: Thank you!

Imbue-Numinous: Thank you thank you! I'm like… 97% positive that one ending will be all of them. That was the original plan for the story, I haven't laid anything down for certain, but as of now, multiple endings is probably the safest bet. THANK YOU AGAIN.

OneWhoReadsTooMuch: I feel you with the Midorima and Hana bond, those two are hard to get working properly. Gave me so much trouble this chapter haha. I'm glad you enjoyed it though!

Naliyu: No, thank you for your review! And thank you for congratulating me on my independence! It kinda sucks but it also kinda rocks! Woo!

Red Raspberries: Thank you, thank you! I'm glad you liked it, it makes me so happy! I would hug you but I can't fit through this screen!

Jeya Mendoza: Your long reviews make me so happy. I want you to know I read them multiple times and even though I'm not replying with the same amount, they are the best thing I could ever receive. I love how detailed you are! It's great! Thank you so much for sticking with me! By the way, I will reply to your message as soon as I wake up from the sleep I'm about to crash into!

CrystalViolet24: I'm glad you think it went okay, I was a bit worried to be honest! I would love to type a much longer response to match your awesome review, but I'm really sleepy! I just want to say I love your rambles and they're great and awesome and they make my day everytime I get them! I read all these awesome reviews everytime writing gets hard and the long ones like yours help pull me through!

NinjaPenjuinLover: I CAN'T WAIT EITHER. I LOVE ANGSTY GUYS, SO MUCH FUN TO WRITE. And yes, I think Hana and Takao are cute too… that's probably why I can't stop writing him heheh. Thank you!

Pinkdoughtnuts: Don't worry about Kagami too much, he's role was never really relationship, but I don't discourage anyone from shipping! Ship with anyone, I don't mind! Kise seems to be a favorite though! Thank you for your review!