*slams head into desk* I rewrote this chapter like five times after it was already finished because I couldn't get it right. I'm so frustrated with it right now I could scream, but if I keep poking at it, I'll probably kill it. Now a final thank you for all those wonderful reviews! They were all so long and thought out, I really enjoyed reading them!
Finally... here's a chapter of mostly angst! Bon appetite!
Warnings: bad language, thoughts of violence, and piss poor editing.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke
Tōō versus Seirin
The Ending
Fake it till you make it.
If Hana's life lately had a personal motto, she'd pick that.
While everything wasn't truly stable yet, at least Uoya's pep talk allowed her to look past herself. With those short minutes of comfort, he'd realigned her mind to focus on the game at hand. I can do this. Or, at best, she could fake it until she truly felt it. Because even though her heart still felt deadened with personal distress, she wouldn't allow it to overcome the duties she needed to fulfill today.
The insecurities that plagued her couldn't hold back the team.
Taking a final sip of her coffee and poking her head into the dressing room, Hana caught the edge of the conversation. From what she could tell, they were already in the process of planning their next move.
"Your misdirection won't work throughout a whole game," Hyuuga's voice came from the middle of the assembled teammates.
We're taking Kuroko out? Pushing the door open all the way, Hana slunk inside. Green eyes moved over the tense forms of all the players and a troubled grimace crawled across her cheeks. But we'll need him… She couldn't imagine the difficulty they'd face without Kuroko's specialty. Already, her façade of ease began to diminish.
"Hey, uhm," Hana coughed into her fist to gain their attention, "What'd I miss here?"
"We're subbing Kuroko-kun out for the second-half," Riko tilted her head toward the manager, "His effectiveness is wearing off—"
Sitting on the bleacher, Kuroko interrupted the growing conversation, "I can do it."
No. Without misdirection, Kuroko won't hold up to any of Tōō's members. Hana watched the boy in question. He does need to sit out, but—
"I will do anything to beat Aomine-kun," Kuroko's voice sliced through the air, focus spreading over his features like armor. But he can't allow himself too.
"You'd have a better chance of beating him if you recovered," despite not being there for the full conversation, Hana got the gist of the situation and even she could tell Kuroko wasn't thinking clearly, "Aomine's an asshole, if you go in without being ready he'll destroy you."
"I understand your concerns," blue eyes turned toward her and Kuroko tilted his head, "But this is something I need to do, Imamura-san."
Hana's green eyes narrowed in return. Stop being a hard ass. Despite this, Kuroko didn't react to her unspoken warning. After a lifetime of staring at one another, Hana turned her attention back to the now fretting Riko. I can't argue with his determination. Stupid manga protagonist syndrome.
"This isn't an easy choice," staring at her feet, Riko lifted her head to address the whole room, "With or without Kuroko we have a difficult match ahead of us."
Hana wasn't sure how to feel about that fact. It sounded as if Riko wasn't going to allow Kuroko's request, and while Hana didn't disagree, she did catch the edge of discontent that flickered over Kuroko's face. She wasn't the only one. Taking one massive step across the room, Kagami came to stand in front of the coach.
"Hey, coach," Hana blinked at Kagami's tone. He sounded much too relaxed about this whole thing, "Can I get one of those?"
Hana opened her mouth, "Get one of what—"
Lemon.
So much lemon. Hana wasn't sure where the box came from, but one second the air was empty and the next, Riko pulled out a container full of lemons. As the coach removed the top, Hana twisted her head to hide her disgust. What'd she do to that poor fruit? One green eye peeked back at the monstrosity, Why does Kagami need a damn lemon?
She found out quickly enough.
"Sit on the bench and eat this," poor Kuroko hadn't been expecting Kagami to march toward him and promptly gag him with the sugar soaked fruit, "You're the one who said you can't play basketball by yourself! Leave it to us!"
She'd never seen a pep-talk through the use of fruit, and Hana had to say, she didn't really want to experience again. That lemon was way too thick for Kuroko's mouth and the way the shorter boy simply blinked up at Kagami wasn't helping matters. Jesus, Hana brought her hand up to her head at the mental image, you guys can't do this to me right now.
"You just…" she sighed, "You just shoved— can he even breath?"
Kagami spared Kuroko a glance before shrugging, "He's fine."
"What the hell? He—" Hana flapped her hand in exasperation, "There's a lemon— I give up."
Why is no one else worried? None of her teammates shared in the concern about Kuroko's air loss, which seemed mighty rude of them. Instead, they all radiated relief at Kagami's citrus inspired rant. And they think I'm the strange one…
Unfortunately, the lighthearted moment followed the pattern as the ones before it and the humor of the situation didn't linger. I'm ready for this to be over with. They still had a mountain they needed to scale and there wasn't enough time to be spent lollygagging. While Kuroko gently removed the lemon, a hush fell over the group.
"Okay, it's decided," Riko clapped her hands to bring order back. Her hazel eyes blazed, "We'll take Kuroko out for a little bit of the third quarter, but prepare to be put back in during the forth."
"What are we going to do about Aomine?" that was Fuduka, who's expression betrayed his worry, "Without Kuroko—"
"Kagami-kun is our best chance at standing up to him," Riko didn't waste as second as she launched into game plans, "Izuki-kun and Hyuuga-kun will continue with what they've been doing, Mitobe-kun and Tsuchida-kun will be under the hoop."
There are other assholes we've got to worry about. Leaning against the door's siding, Hana voiced her concern "What about the other players? We've still got Momoi to worry about too."
"For now, our biggest threat is Aomine," closing her eyes, Riko appeared to think, "Izuki-kun and Hyuuga-kun will take care of mushroom number nine and number four. Now, are we ready?"
A full round of agreement came from the assembled players, "Yes!"
"Alright then," one hand propped on her waist, Riko threw her fist in the air, "Seirin, fight!"
The subsequent reply was all encompassing, "Fight!"
After a round of cheers, the Seirin team moved like tiny soldiers prepping for battle. Steps firm with resolution and eyes hard with focus, they moved as one toward the door. Stepping out of the way, Hana allowed them to pass through. A pang of apprehension flushed through her system, but she tried to force the sensation back into place.
She'd just have to believe in her team and trust Uoya's words.
It was all she had at the moment.
Stop being so damn pessimistic, you're going to give yourself a stroke. Rubbing a hand over her face, Hana let out a sigh before moving from her position against the wall. She began to follow their steps out the door when Kuroko appeared beside her. She'd liked to think it said something about her mental state that she wasn't vocal about her surprise.
"I'm not sure Momoi-san will be able to predict anything with Aomine-kun on the court," peering at her from the corner of his eye, Kuroko answered her pervious question, "His movements are unpredictable."
"Understatement," despite the foreboding tone, Hana hummed, "Do you think he still plays in the same way? I've got nothing to compare him too other than the notes from Teiko."
"…" blinking, Kuroko lowered his gaze to the ground, "I believe he is much stronger than ever before."
Dammit. Her shoulders fell, "I was worried you'd say that. It looked that way earlier, but I'd hoped—"
She trailed off. Sharing with Uoya was one thing, but opening herself up to Kuroko was a completely different ballfield. He doesn't need my shit on top of his. Acknowledging the change of pace, Kuroko looked toward her. Something in his gaze spoke of understanding and Hana released a tired breath. I've always hated that soul-searching power.
Thankfully, they hadn't fallen far behind their teammates and Hana was able to avoid sharing. In only a few quick seconds, both Hana and Kuroko matched pace at the end of the group. With the press of game time sneaking back upon them, Hana's mind still worked in confusing circles and half-thought schemes until she finally forced her attention back into reality. The first thing she noticed was Kuroko's tension beside her.
Honestly, she'd never liked that. Something inside her flinched to see him in pain. This new caring development, probably. But the technicalities didn't matter in the face of reaction. Feeling a spontaneous resolve to fix the issue, Hana tugged on the back of his jersey as soon as they stepped through the gymnasium doors.
"Hey, Kuroko," hesitantly, Hana let go of his jersey. Even if she didn't have the natural ability to comfort, she could still share a hint of Uoya's words, "This is just a game, okay? It'll be alright—"
The words leaving her mouth pitched to a halt at the sight on Aomine at opposite side of the court. Fire rested in his veins and the expression on his face promised something more than defeat. The dark hue of his eyes scanned over the Seirin teammates before coming to rest on Hana and Kuroko's combined front.
When his blank façade rested solely on her, the knowledge in Aomine's expression made every nerve in her system freeze over.
"I apologize, Imamura-san," Kuroko's head turned in the same direction, eyes finding the target of her distress, "But I don't believe those words are true today."
xXxXxXx
It happened so suddenly, she wondered if this is how it felt to drown.
Grasping for a lifeline, yet the waves kept coming and your air fell short.
Innocently, a small part of Hana held onto the assumption that they'd be able to overcome this obstacle and destroy her doubts. It's only a damn game. But, Kuroko's parting still rung in her eardrums. He's right. How can this just be a game? The subject of her thoughts satbeside her on the bench. Kuroko displayed the same rigidity, sharp eyes tracing the proceedings of the court with a quiet edge.
The reason for their discomfort lied in their old friend's actions. Since the start of third quarter, Aomine owned the court and nothing could stop him. Every step the Seirin upperclassmen made was countered and every move Kagami pushed himself through rendered pointless. Yet, the smooth face of their opponent remained unaffected.
That didn't mean to say they'd stopped trying. Even in the face of such an opponent, Seirin didn't quit. As Hana turned her attention back to the rest of the players, Hyuuga moved forward to block Aomine's path to the hoop. He's too freaking fast. Though the move did little to stop the impossible, it did gift Kagami the chance to insert himself into the situation.
"Come on, Kagami," her words felt like a prayer and she leaned forward, bracing both hands against her knees. Hana's fellow bench mates echoed her sentiments, "Come on, come on."
Unlike his teammates, Kuroko remained unmoved.
Hana soon realized why. As Aomine jumped to shoot and Kagami followed, Hana's heart fell. Kagami jumped, oh he jumped, but Aomine leaned just out of reach by contorting his body into a horizontal position before shooting the ball directly into the net. The swoosh of the net was audible in the shocked silence of the court. Out of the corner of her eye, Hana watched Kuroko's fist clench.
"How did he—" At the edge of the bench, Fuduka's mouth fell, "That shouldn't be possible."
Hana opened her mouth to explain, only for her thoughts to skitter to a halt.
I don't know the answer, the thought was accompanied by a low layer of panic. Aomine's so damn different, I don't know how this person works. Laying useless in her lap, the notes of Tōō stared innocently up at her and Hana blinked down at them. All of Aomine's information was laid out with compiled notes from their years of middle school, but everything was wrong.
She'd fallen behind again.
I didn't think it'd be like this. Kuroko was right— he's too strong.
"Kagami-kun can't keep up," Riko hissed. Her gaze never left the show off between aces, "Aomine-kun is faster, even dribbling."
None of us can keep up. Barely nodding, Hana's nails dug into her knees, "This is crazy."
The words accompanied another goal on Tōō's behalf while Kagami's elbow graced Aomine's abdomen. Shit. Kagami… After the referee called the foul,Hana's foot jumped as she watched the teams line up on the free throw line, attention locked on Aomine's easy movements. I don't trust him. His presence loomed over the court before a slick smirk sliced his face as he addressed Kagami. Hana's nerves fluttered in caution.
"This is disappointing, but I shouldn't have expected much. The only one who can beat me is me," there was just enough power in Aomine's tone that it traveled to the benches, "You can't do this alone."
When he turned and prowled to the sidelines, Hana's breath locked. Aomine's gaze crawled over the seated players, scanning the freshmen and Koganei with little interest. When that dangerous stare finally landed on her and Kuroko, one lithe eyebrow rose in amusement, "What are you two doing? Come on out, Tetsu. Let's settle this."
"…" Riko's shoulders tensed at the direct challenge, "Kuroko-kun?"
Fingers shakily digging into her clipboard, Hana shot a look to Kuroko. Though his gaze remained shadowed, courage rested in his tone, "I've had enough time to rest. I'm going."
"Great, show me the power of the new light and shadow," Aomine's voice was scarcely more than a taunt. I hate him like this. A second later, something sick crawled up Hana's throat when he turned his attention fully onto her, eyebrow still quirked in question, "Don't tell me you're giving up already, Imamura?"
Her mind floundered. Is that what it looks like?
"Ha," forcing a sharp laugh, Hana tilted her head up to meet Aomine's stare, "Hate to crush your heart, but no, I'm not."
Aomine stared down at her before his upper lip curled into a smirk, "Really?"
"Really," she tried to smirk back, but it pulled a bit too tight, "I'm not giving up this time around."
Registering the undertone in the words, his eyes narrowed the softest hint of a fraction. Her eyebrow rose in defiance and eventually, he turned away from her challenge. Instead, Aomine's stare transferred to Kuroko before his mouth cracked into a pleased expression and he moved back to the court. Hana was left staring after his back.
What she'd give just to understand the thoughts that passed through his head.
When did he become such an ass? The conflict that replaced their former bond still hurt. It felt like a thousand ants digging into her skin. The fact that Aomine hadn't always been this cruel mockery stung far worse than she expected. Not this… She removed her gaze from Aomine's jersey at the threat of emotion, cursing herself for the growing self-pity. Stop this. Focus!
Meanwhile, a time out was called and Kuroko transferred to the court.
A tension still clouded the area, but with Kuroko's appearance a little bit of light broke through the haze. Come on guys. Hana's leg continued its shaking even with the change, not feeling the least bit assured. Aomine's provoking still hung fresh in her ears and she couldn't get her mind to focus. Come on, come on.
The game began anew, with Izuki taking lead possession of the ball though Imayoshi was hot on his heels. Cornered, Izuki's dribbling stalled out as he looked for an open pass, catching sight of Kuroko at just the last second. You can do it. As the ball landed in Kuroko's hands, Hana's own tightened into painful fists. Spinning, Kuroko built up a familiar momentum before slamming a foot into the ground and passing with all his might to Kagami.
Hands grasping the ball with a resounding clap, Kagami raced down the court. His speed, normally unrivaled by the Seirin teammates, was no match for Aomine and the Tōō ace caught up in no time. The moment brought a quick sensation of terror, especially when Aomine merged into Kagami's space, but Kagami proved them wrong. Not even pausing, the redhead cracked a smirk before passing the ball to Hyuuga behind him.
When their captain made the shot, Hana let out a relieved sigh, "Kuroko sure added an edge, didn't he?"
"He did," Riko smiled as the freshmen erupted into cheers at the three-pointer, "He's changing the game."
Though she felt a tad better, Hana still flicked her gaze to the score board. The twenty-point difference didn't promise much, "I goddamn hope so."
xXxXxXx
That's the worst thing about hope.
The way it tricks you.
How it hints toward the impossible, promising that everything will be okay. You cling to the last shred you have and pray. It promises an incredible outcome and it's so tempting, you almost believe it. On the bench, Hana watched the proceedings and lowered her head as the last thread of hope she owned snapped.
The whole game had played out as a limbo between defeat and success, leaving everyone on the edge of their seats. But, as she was quickly realizing, they'd been foolish for even thinking they stood a chance.
With a new sense of power, Aomine overtook the court and dodged past Seirin's players. Izuki, Hyuuga, Mitobe, even Kagami and Kuroko were passed by with the simplest of ease. The pattern repeated and repeated, yet no one held up to Aomine's blinding flame. To be simple, all out destruction was the nicest way to put it. Then, the unthinkable happened again and Riko called Kagami to the bench.
Due to strain on both injured legs, Kagami was forced to sit out again, but unlike last time there was no chance of return.
Seconds later, Kagami didn't speak when he slammed his body down, only the bleacher shaking signaled his anger. Scooting down, Hana gifted their ace a wary look. He's like a ticking time bomb. The way rage rolled off his shoulders and the trembling of his limbs contributed to an intimidating effect, the towel cloaking his face not helping the matter much.
"Kagami," Hana leaned around Koganei who separated them, "You seriously kicked ass."
Her tone echoed with the upmost honesty and Hana wasn't sure she'd ever used this attitude with Kagami before. Despite this, their ace didn't respond to her encouragement. Only his shoulders tightened before his head lowered further, hiding his gaze in the coverage of the towel.
He's pissed, Hana realized with the change of body language, he can't do anything either... That was the last thought she allowed herself to have before turning back to the game. Despite the familiarity she felt with his plight, she couldn't do anything about his temper now. I can't do anything at all.
As she returned her attention to her teammates, Hana's eyes lingered on the scoreboard, 93 to 53, and the pinch of hopelessness she felt was hastily stubbed out. Come on, I said I wasn't giving up.
With only five minutes left in the game, every eye remained locked on the battling miracles. Since Kagami was forced out, the game remained repulsively one-sided. Despite the difference in skill, nothing Aomine did made Kuroko stop, and even as he was outclassed time and time again, Kuroko pressed onward. Following Kuroko's example, the upperclassmen faired in the same manner and ignored the sweat that soaked through their uniform in favor of continuing.
Then Aomine spoke, the new quality of his voice sending slick revulsion over Hana's spine.
"That was quick," at the half court line, Aomine's drawl echoed over the arena, "Your special pass didn't work, you're out of stamina, even your lights gone. Now, you're worse than the average player," Aomine paused as his eyes scanned the court. The miniscule moment they lingered on Hana felt far too long, "I win."
Yet, even with the pressure, Aomine's conceit wouldn't be met with silence.
"It's not over yet, the possibility of winning is only at 0% when all players give up," without pause, Kuroko's head lowered and the fringe of his bangs shaded his gaze, "I refuse to be that 0%. That is why I won't give up!"
You little shit, Hana's mouth ticked up in objection to her thoughts, you're absolutely crazy. If there's one thing Hana loved about Kuroko, it was his dedication. He may not be the best player around, but he had enough heart to overtake them all. He doesn't need a stupid light to shine.
"Go, Kuroko! You tell that asshole!" The rush that pulled her to her feet startled even herself, "Don't listen to his bullshit!"
Tell him he's wrong! Tell him they're all wrong! If there was one person in the world who could get through Aomine's thick ass skull, Hana knew it was Kuroko. Momoi came in a close second, but the only person who understood the in-and-outs of Aomine's personality came in the form of their favorite ghost. That's where Kuroko wins.
Furihata jolted at the scream, "Imamura-san?"
Beside him, Kawahara barely caught himself from falling off the edge of the bleacher. Even Riko shot Hana a surprised look before a pleased smile tilted the edges of her lip. On the court, Kuroko turned toward the sidelines along with Aomine. Catching his attention, Hana realized the expression on Tōō's ace couldn't be properly defined by any dictionary she owned.
Of course, Aomine wasn't the only one who held an opinion on her outburst.
"Imamura…" under the hoop, Hyuuga's expression twitched, "Hey, the rest of you! Show some more spirit!"
"…" Really? Hana's voice hadn't meant to travel, but judging by her captain's glare, it did, "Thank you for ignoring my contribution. It means a lot."
Pushing the bridge of his glasses up, Hyuuga annoyance morphed into a threatening smile, "Don't make shitty contributions then."
I nominate Mitobe for captain. How's that for contribution? While Hana gifted Hyuuga her most potent scowl, Koganei's arm latched around her shoulder and he leaned forward to address the freshmen, "You heard him, scream until the games over. If the guys on court haven't given up, we can't either!"
"…" the freshmen exchanged terrified looks, heads rotating between themselves and the newly recharged game. There was a collective breath before they finally broke out into cheers, "Go defense! Defense!"
The noise rattled the bench and echoed through the court. Even the audience's chatter was deafened by the way Seirin moved together to encourage their own. We won't give up. At the head of the bench, Hana swore Riko's mouth moved with the movements of her own chant. We won't give up!
"Go defense!" Joining the growing momentum, Hana cupped her mouth and screamed, "Rip their damn heads off!"
"Uhm," The arm around her shoulder quickly abated. She only had a moment of confusion before Koganei's hands made a slashing motion, "Not like that, Imamura-chan."
It's more effective, but whatever. She gave him a look, but altered her statement accordingly, "Go defense!" Hana scrunched her nose in consideration, "Destroy them!"
"Let's just stick with the first one…" Koganei's pulled a sheepish expression, "Your cheering could use some work."
x
In the end, life would be too lenient if determination could change fate.
Despite their screaming, despite the team's willpower, despite it all, things didn't improve with simple pleading. In real life, the underdog cannot always win. Aomine scored and scored again, his teammates copying the pattern with their own success. Seirin blocked and charged, but the players on court slowly lost stamina.
Minutes clicked down in mockeries of hours, dragging out the inevitable until the very end. Unlike the beginning of the game, there was nothing left in their dreams of success. The points grew higher and higher while the became observers more despondent than ever. Hope was teasing and faithless, urging them on before crushing them with its escape.
In her own corner of the universe, Hana couldn't watch anymore. I've never felt this shitty. Only thirty seconds remained and she forced her gaze away from the final blow. Bringing her knees up to her chest, she buried her head in the self-made cocoon and waited for the final buzzer to sound. After everything… It just hadn't been enough.
"112 to 54," Furihata's voice dipped in shock, "Our score… they doubled it."
Closing her eyes, Riko gave a somber nod as the players lined up for goodbyes, "We were outclassed. Aomine-kun…"
"He's unstoppable," Hana finished. I thought we stood a chance. She didn't quite raise her head, but she turned enough to meet Riko's eye, "I knew it would be hard— but I didn't expect this bullshit—"
"No one expected this," the coach crossed her arms over her chest, "There's nothing we could have done."
At that statement, Kagami made a rumbling sound before pushing himself to his feet. The force of the moment forced the bleacher to wiggle. Eyeing the players, Kagami's eyes narrowed before he turned and began to stomp toward the exit door. His movements waited for no one. Kagami? Hana trailed her gaze after his back. What the hell are you thinking?
She didn't get an answer to the unspoken question. There wasn't enough time to ponder before their team assembled together. Only a second was spent in the shared sense of defeat until they were moving toward the exit as a silent congregation. Taking up the rear again, Hana tilted her head over her shoulder in one last glance at the Tōō team.
Like before, pink eyes met her own and the other girl took a step forward as she broke away from her own teammates.
"Ima-chan?" Momoi looked lost, begging for something that Hana wasn't sure she could give right now, "Thank you for playing us."
"Momoi," Hana's departure stalled out and she turned her whole attention to the rival manager, "You did great today. Thank you."
She wouldn't belittle her friend to satisfy her hurt conscious. I'm not that big of a dick. Every word out of Hana's mouth rang with truth despite the sting she felt at their delivery. Momoi's eyes widened, and if Hana wasn't seeing things, she'd swear she saw the shine of tears. Don't make me do this. Forcing a smile for the sake of things, Hana raised her hand in goodbye.
Of course, in her life, things could never be that easy. Hana wasn't sure when Aomine creeped up next to his manager, but his voice snagged her attention, "Imamura."
"Aomine," Hana traded her expression for neutrality when she turned toward him. I can't do this. Biting hard into her lip, clarity returned with the pain, "My team's waiting."
His eyes narrowed, hinting that something in his thoughts begged to be released, but Hana didn't want to deal with this. It took all her energy to wear the mask she wore now and the combined force of Momoi and Aomine would surely crack it into pieces. Beside Aomine, Momoi froze as she looked between her two friends, hoping to put sense into their confrontation.
"Nothing to say?" judging from the sudden furrow of his brows, those words hadn't been what he'd intended, "That's a first."
Isn't it? The blank expression she wore cracked a bit and a sour smile pulled up Hana's lips, "Wouldn't complain if I were you."
Thankfully, he didn't respond even as his mouth morphed into a sharp line. She hadn't expected him too, but Aomine never seemed to follow her beliefs. When do they ever? Tracing her gaze over the duo one last time, Hana nodded before following the path her team took to the exit. A burning sensation traveled down her spine.
She knew they watched her exit, but for once, she didn't really care.
A few minutes later and safely back in the familiar locker room, Hana forced her shoulders to relax. This stress is killing me. Her left hand rubbed a halfhearted circle against the tense muscle of her back at the thought. Around her, Seirin's players were in similar states of recollection. A stagnant air filled the area as they recovered from the defeat that laid at their feet.
"Dammit," Kagami's fist smashed into a locker, jolting everyone from their thoughts, "Dammit!"
Stop it. Hana slammed her eyes closed at the noise, flinching away in surprise. Don't do this right now. Most of the team echoed her sentiments and several annoyed looks were gifted in Kagami's direction. The redhead didn't care, his rage too strong to be tamed now.
"We've got two more games!" Riko's whistle blew out in the relative silence of the room, "We don't have time to be sad!"
Despite the warning, it did little good. No one seemed able to look past their recent failure and Kagami's fist clenched threateningly against the locker. Lowering her head, Hana slid her hand across the clipboard to distract herself. Two more games… The recent loss felt heavy on her chest, reminding her that she really couldn't handle the pace she'd believed. I don't know if I can handle any of this shit.
As team members filed out one by one, Hana didn't move from her spot leaning against the lower lockers. Don't think about it. Placing her head between her knees, green eyes slid shut and a few calming breaths escaped her mouth. They didn't do much good, but it was the thought that counted in this situation. It'll all be in the past soon. The door shut again before a stillness overtook the dressing room.
"Hey," Kagami's address forced Hana's eyes open. The slight divergence in his usual determination brought on a flash of forewarning, "I thought we could do this longer, but look at us."
No, he wouldn't— Snapping into awareness, Hana looked between the looming redhead and the target of his words, the shorter player remained silent, Hana's attention shot back to Kagami. A chest clenching worry overtook her, "Kagami."
"…" Kagami barely spared her a glance before turning his attention back to Kuroko, "I don't think we can win just by working together anymore."
He can't just give up! Hana crawled to her knees, mouth open in pure horror. After everything? The finality in Kagami's tone sunk into her bones and she let out a raspy reply, "How can you say that? We worked so damn hard—"
Dull, red eyes locked onto her, "What good did that do us?"
"Don't— Don't be an idiot," Hana's chest heaved as she fought for understanding, "We got this far."
"You're the manager, Imamura," despite her plea, Kagami's back was already turning and his palm pressed against the dressing room door, "You wouldn't get it."
"Kagami!" her voice picked up pitch, "You can't just—"
The door swung open and only Kagami's parting words remained, "It's over, Imamura."
How? How the hell can it be over? Her mouth gaped in a wordless plea as Hana stared after Kagami's back. He can't just— Her fingers twitched against the dressing room floor. Heart beating in a staccato, Hana eased herself back to the floor. He just gave up… The panting breaths of air that escaped her lips felt too close to sobs for comfort.
In the oppressive silence, Hana's mouth opened, "Kuroko?"
For a moment, nothing changed. The air remained electric from Kagami's words and Kuroko's shoulders were still hunched. Clenching her fist, Hana peered toward him in an attempt to check on her friend. She'd only begun to stand before his voice halted her.
"If it's not a problem, Imamura-san," Kuroko's gaze didn't leave the closed locker in front of him, "I'd like to be alone right now."
"Oh," she froze at the blank dismissal before gingerly standing up, "Okay— I'll just… leave?"
Even Kuroko's given up. Her lips cracked in a self-mocking smile, tugging at the sore flesh she'd worked over during the game. At his continued silence, something cold traveled through her, but Hana refused to acknowledge the sudden pressure that wanted to be freed or the way her heart creaked in warning.
Instead, she turned and softly stepped through the door.
It really is over.
xXxXxXx
Humidity hung in the air when she got outside, promising rain for the evening.
Her feet moved like lead chains, dragging down the sidewalk. A niggling thought echoed in the back of her mind, but her body felt too numb to acknowledge it. Though, it wasn't just her mind. Everything felt off and she didn't quite understand the sensation. At least not in the respect it was used today. It was just… empty, almost hollow.
The street lights brightened the dour atmosphere, guiding the fellow passersby that surrounded her. Hana noticed them offhandedly. Only enough to avoid them while she continued her walk through the masses. As the strangers faded into a dull mirage of colors, Hana brought a hand up to rub against her neck, trying to rid the sudden chill that overtook her senses.
She wanted to think, but thoughts just weren't coming coherently. Every idea she tried to grasp faded into a sheen of haze, leaving her back at nothing. So, instead, she moved toward the base of the closest streetlight and laid against the cool metal. It wasn't planned, but with exhaustion overtaking all aspects of her control, green eyes closed.
Even in the shelter of her own mind, time didn't seem to move nor did it stop.
Everything remained in a constant state of flux as Hana tried to sort emotions into coherency and pain into indifference.
"Hana—" she wasn't sure how much time had passed before she heard it, "Hana?"
Hana cracked one green eye open. Like earlier, the sight of her best friend made her mask of apathy falter and everything she'd hidden sprinted toward the surface, "Uoya."
He stood a couple feet in front of her and his expression defined the term concerned. For a moment, Uoya seemed at a loss of what to do, "Are you—"
"No," her voice cracked a bit, "Not really."
"Do you want—"
"If you're going to say talk about it," a wet lump lodged itself in the back of her throat, "Definitely not."
A long sigh came from Uoya's direction. Recognizing the sound as dissatisfaction, Hana slammed her eyes shut as he replied, "Do you want a hug?"
Her eyelids squeezed together so hard it almost hurt. Her lower lip trembled in warning, but Hana wouldn't allow any other noise to escape, "Please."
"Come here," Uoya's voice lowered in gentle sympathy. It was the voice you'd use in the face of a child and Hana hated it, but she couldn't deny the potency. When she didn't move, he tried again, "Hana?"
Why did comfort have to be so tempting?Though it took a moment for her to recollect herself, and like the marionette of a poorly skilled puppeteer, Hana eventually wobbled toward him. When she was finally close enough, the sockets of her joints failed and Hana collapsed into her friends hold, her arms locking around his neck like a living life-line.
"Hey," Uoya tentatively touched the top of her head, "It's alright."
She knew that. Even with her face buried in the shirt of her closest friend, she knew that. Even as her eyes stung with unforgiving pressure, she knew that. In terms of rationality, she understood that this moment was barely a blimp on her life's map. That didn't make the pain any less or the situation any different.
"I guess so," Hana eventually allowed.
"It is," he assured, his hands pushing through the tangle of her hair, "It's just a game."
Maybe for me, Hana thought about the expressions worn after their defeat, but not for everyone else. It's so much more to them. She didn't voice the thought, instead reluctantly agreeing, "I know."
"Everything will work out."
"I know."
Never ceasing his petting, Uoya fell quiet and Hana allowed herself to soak in his familiarity. She really was a touchy-feely person and it'd been much too long since she'd indulged in the action. Uoya's voice broke through her silence after a few minutes of thought, "Can I tell a joke?"
"…" she huffed a tired breath into his shoulder, "Sure."
"When you said you'd cry all over me," Uoya attempted to laugh, but Hana caught the edge of his stiffness, "I didn't think you'd follow through."
A cricket chirped in the distance.
Pressing closer into his hold, Hana released a wet snort. His timing is such shit. It had been a long time since she'd been on the receiving end of such untimely commentary and the results were… refreshing. Is this how people feel when I do it? In the relative comfort of her friend, her snort turned into an untimely guffaw before Hana finally laughed. Dry and husky, her voice cut across the budding evening.
"Woah— woah," Uoya's hands fluttered around at the surprise noise, "That wasn't supposed to make you cry more! Hana?!"
You sweet child. Her hysterical laughter picked up pace, "I'm not crying."
If anything, Uoya looked more concerned, "Are you sure? Because I'm feeling a wetness—"
"Idiot," Hana poked him in the shoulder when her laughter finally evened out. The empty feeling from before seemed to have abated, but the promise of true reaction still laid in the distance, "I'm not. I'm just— feeling shitty."
"…" Uoya shuffled, "Want me to do anything—"
Oh, she did. She really freaking did. She wanted him to change everything she'd done today, from waking up to going to school, because Hana had never wanted to experience this type of emotional fallout again.
But, instead she commanded, "Hug me again."
"Uhm. Alright, but Hana—"
"Don't care if it's healthy. Hug."
There was a sigh, but two long arms wrapped around her waist without further comment. Heat seeped into her chilled flesh and Hana buried her nose into the column of Uoya's throat. There wasn't any way she could vocally express her gratitude without letting lose the tears that hovered on the surface. In replace of words, she just huddled closer.
It could have been minutes or hours before Uoya spoke, "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"
"Positive," Hana replied immediately, "There's nothing to say."
Still worried about his friend, Uoya made a strangled noise as he attempted to find words, "Erhm—I mean— it might help? Not that I'm pressuring or anything."
"I can't do it right now," her head shook, "At this point, it'll just make me feel worse."
Judging from his hesitant hum, Hana would bet Uoya looked confused as all hell. She couldn't blame him. Her own thought process confused her too. After a pause, he made another considering sound, "… uhm, you want ice cream? It's what we used to do."
Hana's nose scrunched, "Depends. Are you buying?"
"Well, yeah."
"Then yes."
xXxXxXx
She wished the solution was that easy, but the inevitable could only be stalled for so long.
Two hours and a stomach full of ice cream later, Hana shut the front door behind her. Her house was painted in darkness and, head still in a fog, she blinked at the realization that her father hadn't come home yet. The knowledge forced the repressed state of her emotions to let out a little ping and her hand limply fell from the doorknob, the mixture of loneliness and grief turning into a toxic combination.
"Nūdoru?" Hana's voice echoed in the stillness of her home, "Where are you?"
In any other situation, the barrage of noise at his arrival would have brought a smile to her face. It was okay though, because Nūdoru's own doggy grin made up for the lack of her own. Tail wagging, teeth flashing, and ears perked, her dog stumbled over the slick wooden floors before ramming into her hip. Hana's throat tightened at the familiar welcome.
As shaky hands reached for his face, she slid down and wrapped him into a hug, "Sorry, I'm late. It's been a long day…"
Head tilted in question, Nūdoru's excitement stalled when his owner's voice hitched. Licking his tongue back into his panting maw, Nūdoru pushed his face into Hana's neck with a chuff. His confusion only grew when trembling fingers threaded through his fur and his owner laid her forehead against his own.
Now whining, Nūdoru nosed at her again, causing the fingers to tighten their grip.
A salty smell filled the air and he licked, following the scent down his owner's cheek.
x
x
In fairy-tales, the hero bounces back right away.
Maybe through a timely adventure or a good word from a friend, they succeed in defeating the darkness around them. The sadness only lasts as long as they let it and they never let anything keep them down. But there was a difference in this fairy-tale, because Hana was learning she wasn't the hero in this story and she didn't have the ironclad resolution needed to bounce back.
The defeat at the hands of Tōō paved the way for more failure. Even as her team stood strong against their final two opponents, they didn't win. Loss after loss, all games concluded in the same repetitiveness of destruction and defeat. It was goddamn tiring.
It was the day after the Tōō game, their match against Senshinkan High finally over with, and now everyone stood in the dressing room, packing their belongings in silence. Sitting on the floor next to the door, Hana stared at the notes in her lap. Another failure. Again, her help had proven fruitless and the former insecurities raised their ugly head. Cracking an ugly smile, her thumb traced the edges of the clipboard.
Being useless was a new sensation. Maybe that was a harsh way to put it, but—
She wasn't helping.
In the beginning, Hana assumed that her short-comings in the last game were due to Momoi's influence and she thought she'd get past it, but the hypothesis slowly proved naïve. Despite the notes she'd accumulated on Meisei and Senshinkan, Hana didn't have enough skill to give them the edge they needed to get through the games. It was a hard pill to swallow.
"I'm going to head out," Hana removed her notes and clenched them in her fist, "I'll see you guys at school."
Pausing from her observation of the dressing room, Riko frowned at her tone, "Are you sure, Imamura-chan?"
Hana's fist tightened, "Yeah."
There just… wasn't anything else to say. Words seemed to fail her time and time again, so she'd been unnaturally quiet around her teammates since the game against Tōō, unwilling to open herself up in case she faced another bout of rejection. I'm not going through that shit again. At the thought, her eyes flicked over to the silent duo of Kagami and Kuroko.
"If you want to…" the coach scarcely finished speaking before Hana was on her feet. Another frown pulled at Riko's lips as she watched, "You did a good job today."
Did I? Hana's movements stalled at the praise she didn't earn, "Alright."
Too lost in her own thoughts, she didn't see Riko's confusion at the lacking response or Kuroko's head lifting. Instead, Hana's feet led her to the door, only stopping to drop the now balled up notes into the trash. She expected the action to be lifting, the weight of failure finally off her chest.
Yet, the feeling that occurred displayed the contrary. For a moment, Hana stared at the papers lining the edges of the trashcan. This—
A tepid hand grabbed the doorknob before Hana shoved it open and stalked out.
This isn't okay.
xXxXxXx
Sometimes the hero falls; that's a fact of life.
But, dammit, the universe sure wasn't letting her fall without giving her a hell of a hard time about it.
The days since their last game had been miserable at best and with the still growing conflict between Kagami and Kuroko, nothing seemed possible. There wasn't anything left to cling too. She was so tired and though Hana said she wouldn't give up—
It looked quite tempting.
The pain of Aomine's change, the failure at standing up to Momoi's skill, the words from Kagami, everything kept repeating and repeating. The edge of total defeat laid just at the edge of her mind and Hana was oh so tempted to grab it. After all they'd been through this last week, she really had no desire to continue fighting.
Unfortunately, her friends seemed to have a built-in angst detector.
That would be the only explanation to why Kitano and Uoya showed up at her house that Saturday morning. After spending the rest of her week in a state of unease, Hana had planned to use the weekend as a time to recollect herself and fix the cracks in her heart. At first, their appearance hadn't bothered her too much and Hana allowed herself to be soothed by their comforting words.
But, when Kitano tossed her a pair of his old gym shorts after her rant finally ended, Hana began to realize things just wouldn't progress easily.
No, they had to get ideas and make plans.
If she wanted to understand the mechanical movements behind basketball enough to predict them, she'd need to play the game. A lot. To be fair, she understood the concept they tried to concoct. The trouble came with the fact that, by going to the court today, she'd be playing literal strangers. Something which didn't seem to bother her friends. Oh no, if anything that just added more fuel to the fire. If this is how they feel when I involve them in my plans, I apologize and beg for the highest level of forgiveness.
"This isn't what I had in mind," Hana deadpanned, using her hand to block the burning rays of the morning's sun. Being dragged out of her house wasn't a new experience, but the lack of coffee and the pure exhaustion in her system didn't help improve her already atrocious mood, "Why couldn't we just have a movie day or something?"
"This is for your own good, Hana-chan," Uoya urged, pressing his palm against her shoulder in encouragement, "You need to get over this, it's not healthy."
She shot him a halfhearted glower, "If you say this isn't healthy one more damn time— I'll revolt."
"Oh, shut up," Kitano brought a hand up to stifle his yawn, "This was your idea."
My idea involved blankets and dog cuddles, not this crap. Stomping behind him, Hana scoffed, "… that's complete bullshit and you damn well know it."
"Technically, Hana-chan," at the rear end of their little grouping, Uoya inputted, "You did say you wanted to become a better manager—"
"I didn't expect the process to kill me," Hana snarled. This conversation had been repeated the entire journey to the basketball courts, "I get how a player's perspective could help, but this is just ridiculous."
Stalking down the sun-washed sidewalk, Kitano snorted, "Stop being so dramatic. You're the one that wanted to learn how to predict movements, you can't do that without playing."
"See, but my life is in the balance here," she refuted "These guys are probably like— miles taller than me. They'll murder me."
Stepping over a stray piece of litter, Uoya coughed, "Uhm, if you're uncomfortable, we could always play you—"
"Nope," finally reaching the corner they needed to turn down, Kitano smirked over his shoulder, "She won't learn anything with us going easy on her."
You're not getting this! Hana threw her arms up, "I won't learn anything from being dead, either!"
This is what she gets for sharing her insecurities. Now here she was, being thrown to the sharks and just hoping she knew how to swim. I don't work that way though!
"Oh my god," Kitano flung his head back with the whine, "They aren't going to kill you— I know them."
Her thoughts moved to Kitano's new teammates, making that statement null and void. Twitchy fingers clenched as Hana held back the urge to murder, "That doesn't comfort me at all!"
"Guys— Guys," Uoya stepped forward between the bickering pair. Arms raised placidly, he glanced between them, "Let's calm down— Hana-chan, don't worry. You know we'd never do anything to hurt you."
"Bullshit," despite the deadpanned response, Hana didn't mean the words to be as cutting as they came across. So, she sighed, "Look, I know, but I just don't get what you guys are expecting out of this."
"You're going to cheer the hell up for one," Kitano's steps slowed, eyes narrowing on the basketball courts up ahead, "You're acting like a zombie and not the cool kind Iseri likes."
Now who's overreacting? Huffing, Hana turned her head to glare at her other friend, "I'm not being a zombie—"
"Yeah," Kitano and Uoya spoke as one, "You are."
"I'm not," she defended as she took the few steps forward to stand by Kitano's side. Following his line of sight, her eyebrow raised suspiciously. The public basketball court was despairingly empty and not a soul stood in sight, "Whatever. Hey, I thought you said we were meeting people."
"We're supposed to," Kitano pulled a frown, fiddling with his phone, "Where the hell are they?"
Humming uncertainly, Uoya shrugged, "Maybe they got held up?"
Foot tapping, Hana looked away from her friends piddling. Your planning skills continue to astound me. If they were going to make her walk endlessly to the court on the other side of town, she damn well was going to use it. I didn't want to meet strangers anyway. Looking left then right, Hana waited for the cars to pass before crossing the road toward the chain-linked gate.
"Wait— Hana!" Uoya's voice called after her back, but Hana was already stepping into the fenced area, "Please don't scream!"
Her steps faltered to a halt. The hell? Horrified, Hana shouted in return, "Why would I scream?! You said you wouldn't—"
The voice that interrupted her ceased all bodily functions. Oh my god…
"I'd assume that would be because of us," the bushes that separated the edge of the court from the one beyond it parted and a familiar figure stepped through. Despite the lack of a smile, the tone was warm, "Hello, Imamura-san."
"… Hey, manager-san," the bush the first figure passed through flung back to hit the encroaching second figure in the face, "Futabatei— you did that on purpose, didn't you?"
"I didn't," straightening to full height, Futabatei's brow furrowed at the other's comment, "Where are Kajiwara-san and Iseri-san?"
Finally free of the cast that had followed him through most of middle school, Saiki whispered something under his breath as he rubbed his head, "I'm not sure. Kajiwara wanted something to eat—"
All of them? She couldn't breathe. Shock didn't amount to the emotion she felt now. They all… A strange mixture of happiness and disbelief flooded through her system, rendering all response impossible. Hana clenched her fists while green eyes shot between the two figures. The longer she looked, the more the doubt of the situation faded. You guys… you didn't.
"Hold up," Hana couldn't take any more and her voice cracked. Something close to tears clung to her eyelashes, "Are… are you all here?"
The metal gate clanged as Uoya and Kitano finally made their way inside. Coughing sheepishly, Uoya answered, "I may have called everyone—"
"Oi," Kitano interrupted, "I helped too."
"… sure," merely raising a brow, Uoya took a step away from the bald boy before finishing his earlier statement, "You've been really weird since we last talked and… I guess I was worried. I hope you're not mad, Hana-chan."
Hana didn't know what to do. Her stupor wouldn't fade instead stretching into full-fledged wonder as she stood there. He… he really did all this? When Hana looked at the sincerity resting in Uoya's gaze, the numbness that haunted her body since the game with Tōō abruptly lifted and a warm heat flushed over her skin. He did all this for me?
"You—" Hana swallowed, wildly flicking her stare between all the assembled boys, "How?"
Not understanding the significance, Kitano stared at her, "Phones?"
"No, how did you know?" Hana reiterated, mouth still hanging open in pure astonishment, "Like—how?"
How did they know this is what I needed?
"Uhm," shrugging, Uoya looked to the other boys for help, "I'm not sure. It just felt like the right thing to do. Everyone else agreed."
"…" her eyes slid shut at the emotion that statement brought on. Jesus Christ. Everything just felt too perfect, "I'm about to hug the shit out of you."
As expected, Kitano threw his hand's up, "I helped too—"
"I know," she shook her head in incredulity, still not trusting this to be reality, "I'm about to hug the shit out of all of you."
She started with Kitano, simply to appease his pouting. Launching across the court pavement, Hana's arms wrapped around his neck in a choke-hold, pulling the taller boy down to her level so she could twist her arms completely around his body. I love you, you crazy asshole. A wild laugh escaped at his noise of surprise. I love you.
"Aghk," Kitano coughed when Hana suddenly released her hold, "Hana!"
She ignored his complaint by spinning away from him, instead turning her gaze onto the suddenly wary Saiki. Raising both hands, the elder boy attempted to step away, but Hana was already jumping toward him. It's been so long. Unlike Kitano's full body hug, Hana simply choose the gentle route and hugged Saiki around his muscled waist. I've missed you guys so much.
"Ahhh," decidedly awkward, Saiki patted at her back, "It's alright, manager-san."
He's still doing that? Hana took a step back to look him in the eye and fondly berate him, "You know, I'm not your manager anymore. Do you even still play basketball?"
"I stopped playing when I began high school," Saiki smiled while shaking his head in denial, "So, in a way, you'll always be my manager."
That was… surprisingly kind of him. Her eyebrow quirked in amusement, "You can be sweet. I'm surprised."
"It'd be rude of me to act otherwise," mouth curling into a grin, Saiki looked down at her, "You've grown up quite well—"
"Anddd, that's enough of that," Uoya stepped in front of the older teen, elbow jolting into Saiki's side with the movement. Placing a shit-eating smile on his own face, Uoya opened his arms for the next hug, "You've been hugging a lot, you know?"
Momentarily startled, she blinked. What was that about? She tried to tilt her head around Uoya's body to see Saiki, but Uoya simply moved in time with her. Stupid boys. Defeated, Hana gifted Uoya her best deadpan, "I was going to hug you last. You've gotten a shit ton lately."
"But I wanted my hug now," pouting for dramatic effect, Uoya made a grabbing motion with his hands, "Please?"
"… I'm sensing an ulterior motive, but okay," she moved toward him, repeating her movements from the two boys prior. Resting her head on his shoulder, Hana laughed, "Seriously though, thanks, Kazuhiro."
"Woah— woah," hands floundering, Uoya pulled back, "You've never called me by my first name before!"
Hana stepped away from his hold with a smirk pulling at the edges of her lips, "And it won't happen again, little man."
"Oh, come on," Uoya groaned, "You can't do that!"
"I can and I will," she didn't turn to address him, instead laying her focus on her old captain. Futabatei remained as intimidating as she remembered. His black hair laid across his forehead in a no-nonsense way and the only bodily change he'd experienced was the new growth of muscle along his shoulders. This is so damn familiar, it's amazing.
Smirk still in place, Hana raised an eyebrow, "Want a hug, captain?"
"Not particularly," unmoved by her challenge, Futabatei stared back at her, "Though I'll allow it."
"I feel like that was your way of saying, yes, I'd love a hug," she didn't rush toward him. Knowing Futabatei honestly disliked physical contact, Hana took slow steps until she stood right in front of him, "I've missed you guys, you know?"
When Futabatei didn't receive the hug he'd been expecting, he reached out and placed a giant palm on top Hana's head, "We've missed you too, Imamura-san. It's been a long time."
"It has," Hana grinned and her former captain's hand fell away, "How have you been? Are you still playing basketball?"
With a nod, Futabatei responded, "I've been well and I am still playing. I don't intend to stop."
"Good," Hana began to step back toward Uoya, satisfied with her former captain's achievements, "You love playing, I'd hate to see you quit."
Gaze sharpening, Futabatei watched Hana with an intensity she hadn't been prepared for, "The same goes to you, Imamura-san. Don't let loss destroy the things you care for."
"…" her shoulders locked in defense, but instead of allowing the rebuttal to pass her lips, Hana took a deep breath. You've got to move on. Eventually, she let out a weary chuckle, "You see right through all my bullshit, don't you? But, I know. I'm guessing Uoya told you about our games?"
While Uoya choked out a denial, Futabatei nodded, "He did."
Who said girls were the gossipers? In all her life, Hana never met a girl who gossiped as much as her own teammates. It reminded her of the old women at the hair salon, chittering on about the latest scandal. While normally, it annoyed her to pieces, she couldn't fault them this time. The moment was simply too perfect.
"Well, that's freaking great," Hana rubbed a hand down her face, chuckles slowly dying out, "I get what you're implying, things are just a lot harder now then what I'm used to."
But, Hana looked to the edge of the court as a familiar head of black hair appeared at the entrance, I have a feeling they're about to get so much better.
"Which is why you've been brought here," the gate opened again and Iseri's familiar voice rung out through the silence, "We're going to help you."
Uhm… Hana blinked at him, "That sounded ominous as hell."
"Yes, well," Iseri hummed as he began the journey toward them, "Your attempts at helping us wouldn't be described as pleasant either."
Eh, she couldn't disagree there. I bet that's about to bite me in the ass. Judging from Kitano's suddenly enlightened expression, it was going to do more than bite her in the ass. Her old training schedule was going to be the cause of her demise.
"Hey, kid—" another voice spoke from the entrance, shoving the metal gate out of the way as they stomped toward Iseri, "I'm older than you! You can't just walk off with my stuff."
Kajiwara… Hana transferred her stare onto the older teenager. Like Futabatei, Kajiwara's appearance hadn't altered either. He looked to be a bit taller and his long blonde hair grown out even farther, but other than that, he remained as he'd left them. It's like they never left.
"I apologize, Kajiwara-kun," Iseri neatly sidestepped the grabby hands that reached for the basketball in his grasp, "You tend to take too long and I didn't have the patience to wait for you."
Flush overtaking his skin, Kajiwara grasped for the ball again, "I had to pay the cashier."
"We were going to the same location," Iseri's eyebrow twitched with each effort to avoid the upperclassman, "You're overreacting."
Oh my god. Hana's smile slowly morphed into a full out grin, the strength of it making her cheeks tingle from the tightness. While the rest of her former teammates watched the struggle with various levels of irritation, Hana let out a booming laugh. I can't replace this. Subsequently startled, all the former second-string players turned their attention to her. This is perfect.
"Hell, you guys haven't changed," wiping at the joyful tears building up in her eyes, Hana motioned to the ball in Iseri's hands, "But, come on, I thought we were going to play? Isn't that why we came out here?"
Conversation skittered out. The older boys, Kajiwara and Saiki, looked momentarily thrown off by Hana's assertion. That's right, Hana smirked. Back in Teiko, I would have been screaming my ass off by now. Unlike their counterparts, the younger boys seemed to gain another dose of liveliness from her statement. Oh, how the tables have turned.
"Imamura-san's right," in prefect synchrony to the past, Futabatei stepped forward to take control of the situation, "We came out here for a reason and it isn't time to get distracted. Kajiwara, you'll be the mediator for the first game."
He pointed to Iseri, Saiki, and Kitano next, "You three are on team one," then he motioned to the remaining people, "Imamura-san, you and Uoya-san will be on team two along with myself."
"Got it, captain," Hana saluted him, acknowledging his orders before dragging Uoya toward the half court line, "You get to do tip-off, Futabatai's center and I'll just, you know, run around and do what I can."
"… I hate doing tip off," Uoya sulked, but he didn't move from his spot, "Hey, Hana-chan, remember to focus on their faces. We're doing this for you—"
"I know," she smiled, taking a deep breath as her chest clenched in happiness, "Thank you."
Nudging her with his shoulder, Uoya beamed, "You're welcome. This is great, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Hana laughed, ruffling her friend's hair, "It's perfect."
X
Three games later, everyone sat on the ground in a semi-circle of sweaty limbs. There hadn't been any breaks and no one deemed it necessary to keep the pace easy. Most of the boys remained in good shape, but Iseri and Saiki, both no longer playing basketball, were breathing harder than normal and the sweat trickled off them in waves instead of drips.
Then there was Hana. Sprawled out on her stomach, she panted into the ground. While the boys were only short of breath, Hana herself was short of life. All the drills she'd pushed them through in middle school suddenly seemed cruel and she had half a mind to apologize. Maybe when I can move again. Make some cupcakes or some shit.
"So," Uoya rubbed a hand over his sweaty brow, "Did you learn anything new?"
Ugh, I don't want to think. Despite that, Hana nodded, "A bit actually. I think I've got most of the basics down. I've still got a lot of shit to learn though."
"Really?" Kitano scoffed, climbing to his feet and marching after the rouge basketball, "Show me."
"You glance at your feet before you charge," Hana droned as her eyes fell shut, "You like to copy Michael Jordan and stick your tongue out when you shoot, that's stupid by the way, and you always look the opposite direction before you pass—"
"Yep, that's enough," the sound of dribbling occurred before Kitano grumbled, "That's so creepy. Why would you do that?"
She sighed, "… that's literally what you asked me to do, dumbass."
"Don't do it to me then," Kitano rebuked, shooting the ball before finishing his reply, "Do it to someone else. Maybe Iseri—"
Without pause, the said boy spoke, "No thank you."
"Fine," Hana offered before the two boys could get into another romantic tension fueled fight. Those little spats were the worse, "For helping me out, you've escaped my creepy stalking powers."
Despite the insurance, Kitano shot her a sour look, "Somehow, I doubt that."
Well, never let it be said you're an idiot, relaxing against the pavement, a miniscule snort escaped her nose. Glad you've learned something in that thick ass head of yours.
"You're all so loud," Kajiwara sighed, throwing his arm over his face, "Were they always this loud, Saiki?"
"Nope," with a snort, the other boy added his own input, "It seems their vocal chords have grown with age."
Futabatei's eyes remained shut from where he rested against the fence, "Do not start another argument."
Other than an untimely chuckle, silence reined. Only the occasional heavy pant filled the air and Hana wondered if the boys were basking in the same glow of memories Hana was. Everything was just so… amazing. Hana didn't have the vocabulary to describe it.
Even as they sat together and the lack of sleep crept into their bones, nothing could ruin the velvety atmosphere they'd created. It felt like home.
"Sooo…" with a drawn-out hum, Uoya broke the hush, "Anyone up for lunch?"
When no replied, Hana raised her hand, "I vote for ice cream."
xXxXxXx
At four o'clock that afternoon, the lock on the front door clicked open and Imamura senior stepped into his house.
He'd left the bakery early for the night, leaving it in the command of the kitchen staff, so he could pick up dinner for the evening. Hana did always prefer the sloppy burgers to his own cooking. Shucking his shoes off in the doorway, his eyebrows rose at the silence of the house and the lack of mess in the living room.
The greasy paper bag crunched in his hand as he walked toward the steps, "Hana? I brought food!"
When his daughter didn't reply, he marched toward her room, assuming she'd forgotten to remove her headphones again. Yet, his steps slowed. This wasn't the atmosphere he'd anticipated. The hallway lights were off and the door to her room remained open a crack, though no light shone through. A touch of worry creeped up his spine.
"…" he softly pushed the door open, "Hana?"
Oh. Whiskered lips pulled up in a gentle smile as his eyes landed on the pile.
Taking up the entirety of the bed, with only a nest of blankets surrounding them, Hana sprawled out in all directions while Nūdoru laid out identically on top of her. Both were fast asleep and a rumbling snore echoed from someone's mouth. Taking a step back, he shut the door as gently as he could.
Relieved grin still quirking his expression, he retraced his steps back to the kitchen.
X
Reviews! (So many long reviewssss~ so much happinessss~)
ADDbaby: I'm so sorry to hear about your grandmother! My heart goes out to you. If I could hug you through the computer, I would. You and Hana sound like you'd be good buds though. Go try to find a Hana to spice up your life! While I may not have been able to give Hana some good coffee this chapter, but I think we got everything else down! And dude, bless you too. Thank you for your amazing and humorous reviews and for sticking with this story even with everything going on around you. Thank you!
NotAnnie: I'm GLAD YOU LIKED ALL THIS STUFF. MY HEART IS HAPPY THANK YOU. Like woah, a lot did happen last chapter, sorry this one is kind of slow in comparison opps, but we've got more fun stuff coming maaan. BUT THANK YOU. I LOVE REVIEWS LIKE THIS. I can practically feel the emotion and it's great!
FrizzleChicken: I loveeee you. I just want to sing your praises to the mountain tops. Thank you so much for your thoughts on Hana, it really brings me a ton of joy to have people enjoy her. Sorry I've kind of put her through an emotional ride lately, but she's got a lot to sort out in that head before I can make relationships healthy. SPEAKING OF RELATIONSHIPS. Thankyouuu, I love knowing I got the GoM in character. They're all so different, but your words have given me so much encouragement! And finally, have some more Uoya— dudes making a comeback haha. THANK YOU!
030Artastic: Nap time arrives! Uoya is pretty great, I love writing him. Sorry about the angst last chapter and again, sorry because it only got worse this chapter… opps. Anyway, thank you for review! I love theeem!
Saltqueen: Thank you! Speaking of passing out, I'd bet it had something to do with the crazy amount of coffee she drinks ahah.
JeyaMendoza: Hey friend! Please don't cry! At the same time though, I'm kind of honored because I love bringing emotion into the story— but don't cry for real! Yeah, her dad is a nice dad, I like him hahah. But her mom lives in Arizona just in case you were wondering… you know America… where Kagami goes… possible hint? Maybe? Yeah, I think Hana could work up to Momoi's level, it'll just take a really really long time, but it needs to happen. I don't think any of the GoM would want to be with someone who couldn't stand on the same pedestal as them, especially Akashi, but that might just be me. Ahhhh, I could go on and on about your review so I'm finally just gonna end it here with a big fat thank you. I love how in depth you go and it makes my day being able to read it over and over again! Thank you, friend!
TamashinoSuzume: I'm sorry, don't tear up! But I will follow your unsubtle hint! I hadn't thought about bringing him before, but since you brought it up I've got tons of ideas. Thank you for your thoughts on Hana, I really enjoy hearing compliments like that, I'm smiling so big about all that wonderful commentary. And yeah, the intimidation thing squicks me out too. That's probably why this is such a slow burn story because it takes a while to iron out all that mess. It didn't come off as rude at all, thank you!
Crystalviolet24: Two reviews it fine! In fact it's great, don't worry! I'm so happy everyone loves Uoya, it's awesome! Hehehe… have some other 2nd string team members! Here's a ton! Yeah, it really is about freaking time they admit their feelings. It's been driving me crazy so I can't imagine how readers feel! Yeah, we finally got to the Aomine angst this chapter… my bad man. I'm sorry! Yes, momoi deserves more props! And yes, these big games are really hard to write. So, hearing you say how good it was really makes me happy, thank you! THANK YOU SO MUCH. You leave such great reviews, I can't get enough.
OneWhoReadsTooMuch: I'm glad you liked her father and the angst moment! Last chapter had a lot of moments in it, but this chapter really did focus on the aftermath… I apologize and thank you for your review! It was so long and detailed, thank you!
Red Raspberries: Thank you! That was wonderful praise and ahhh, thank you, thank you! I really enjoyed the last chapter too and it was hard to bring this one up to its standards. I hope you find this one just as good!
Imbue-Numinous: IM SORRY. I APOLOGIZE FOR PUTTING THIS ON YOU. BUT THE CHAPTERS WILL STAY NICE AND FAT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR AWESOME REVIEW WHKFJSFLJLFKDJ
amgs: First off, sorry not sorry about the shippings. ;D I love doing this to people, it's my guiltly pleasure haha. Secondly, they really do need to hug it out. We got lots of hugs here, but Hana's not the only angst snot right now. Oh dude, Akashi is going to be fuuuun. I'm excited. So excited. Finally, I love Uoya too! He's awesome and fun to write! (Fun fact: I almost shucked Uoya off right before highschool by having him move to America). Thank you for this wonderful review! The long ones like this are amazing and I can't believe I have readers willing to take out part of their day to do them! And yessss, My Hero Academia! Thank you!
Naliyu: Hmmm. Any idea on the shadow person yet? I don't want to come out and say it, but I did try to imply? I may have missed the mark completely haha. Thank you for your review! And yes, if I get the time, I will definitely make an omake!
Xxjaelee: Yay, screams of happiness! Dude, it really was a heartbreaking game. I rewatched it to write this and wowza, it was intense. Kise and Midorima feels for the win! Ohhh, who do you think the guy is? Do you think it's Aomine now? Finally thank you for your wonderful review!
NinjaPenguinLover: I love Uoya too. He's great. I never want him to leave. Who do you think the shadowy person was? Did I hint enough? And thank you for the compliment on my writing, awhh! And another thank you for leaving a review! Seriously, thanks!
Uqor: Don't ugly cry friend ): things will be okayyy. Dude, Uoya is the bomb. I love his rivalry with Midorima too and I'm so damn excited for that backstory to come out hahah. Was it Aomine? I don't knowwww~ probably lmao. BUT I'M SORRY IF I WRECKED YOUR FEELS. Angst is hard ): anyway, thank you for another review! I thoroughly enjoyed it!
TheParadoxicalOxymoron: I didn't know what you were referencing at first so I went and looked it up, I totally got a giggle and I couldn't stop imagining it! It was great. But I'll be sure to dance in the dead bodies of my enemies, since that has to be the best advice I've gotten all year so thank you! As for story length… I wanted to go to vorpal swords and finish it with maybe a chapter or two of future, but it depends on if you guys want to read it. I've got the ending for the main story thought up already, so I know it'll go that far. And yes, I'm trying to get back into writing more! This one gave me some trouble, so I'm sorry if I totally bombed that haha. Anyway, thank you for another review!
