The Miracle Girl : Re-written

by hana-chan-no-yume

When all hope was lost for a fading miracle, she meets a a shadowy miracle. Together, they join forces and decide to take down five other strong but corrupted miracles. But the female miracle did not expect the other miracles falling love with her. Cheerful Yellow, Tsundere Green, Perverted Blue, Lazy Purple, Fiery Red and the Shadow. Who will Ayasaki Kirimi choose? Please review!

2. Prologue II

I could have sworn I uploaded this chapter months ago. Or was that just a dream? Anyway, here is chapter 2 after a looong delay. So long, you probably thought I abandoned it. Well, no I haven't. I have a lot of ideas for this fanfic but I've got to make them work. Chapter 3 is almost done so hopefully it'll be out soon too. I already have ideas for chapter 4.

I am really sorry for the delay so let's go straight to the story.

---

Recap:

Ayasaki Kirimi is a girl who loved basketball after a fateful meeting with a young boy but she was whisked away before she could learn his name. But she has now come to hate basketball. Her parents have forbidden her from playing it and her wrist has been injured due to basketball.

She made a friend in elementary school but she was forcefully ripped apart from him, again, due to basketball. Kirimi thinks that basketball has brought her nothing but misfortune. But is that really so? Kirimi encounters none other than our dear Kuroko Tetsuya who changes Kirimi's middle school years.

Love or hate? Does Kirimi love basketball or hate it? What are the mysteries Kuroko Tetsuya is hiding from her?

End of Recap

"Teiko Middle School vs. Shisui Middle School" the sign read.

It seemed like this match was not part of any tournament, it seemed more like a practice match. Well, the Nationals were over so that was to be expected.

The two teams, Shisui and Teiko came out. They were greeted with cheers from the audience. But Teiko had much more cheers going for them than the other team. Kirimi saw them from her seat and scanned them with her eyes. Just looking at them, she could tell they were professionals. She wondered, if she had joined a team with Shizuo, would she have become a professional too?

The game began. Kirimi had to admit that the Teiko players were incredibly talented. From the beginning of the game, they were leading with the other team struggling while the Teiko players weren't even sweating. The crowd was cheering for Teiko. By the time half of the game was over, the score was 170 to 8. Whoa. Just how good were they? Were they basketball gods or something?

She shifted her eyes to the match.

The audience cheered as Kise Ryota copied his opponent's move and evaded him easily. His opponent was left with his mouth open at how he had copied his signature technique without turning a hair.

The audience was rooting for Midorima Shintarou with his perfect shots from half way across the court. He didn't even wait to see if his shot made it. He was so confident in his shots that he didn't even bother to look back.

The audience pumped their fists when Aomine Daiki scored a goal. He was a monster, playing basketball in a way no human being could.

The audience was staring in awe at Murasakibara Atsushi as he towered above his opponents. The giant looked bored as he simply stopped a boy from the opposing team scoring. It was like he was looking at fleas.

The audience was whispering at how Akashi Seijuuro was subtly controlling the flow of the match. The boy, with his eyes of red and gold, looked impassively at the other team.

When suddenly, Kirimi saw something she had never thought she would see.

"Wow!" shouted Kirimi. "That player is amazing!"

Kirimi couldn't take her eyes off him. He…his style of play was similar to hers. The way he passed the ball, the way he evaded his opponents, it was just…wow.

A boy next to her said, "Which one? Midorima? Aomine? Murasakibara?"

Huh? Kirimi didn't know who was who in the Teiko Team. This was the first time she was seeing them. She had only heard of them before.

"Um, that player over there!" said Kirimi, pointing at the boy.

"Oh you mean Aomine, the tanned one? Yeah, he's a beast in basketball. Never seen one like him before!" said the boy in admiration.

Tan? No. The person she was seeing wasn't tanned at all. If anything, he was the opposite of that.

Kirimi shook her head.

"No! The other person! The small person!" said Kirimi, trying to describe him.

"Oh, you mean Akashi? The red haired one?"

Kirimi looked at the red haired person on the court. Yes, his height wasn't exactly extraordinary for a basketball player but he was not who Kirimi was talking about.

"No, the one passing the ball!"

"You mean Murasakibara, that giant?"

The boy was getting increasingly puzzled. Who the heck was this purple headed girl talking about? Not to mention she didn't even know the players' names!

Kirimi was equally puzzled. Why couldn't he see that amazing player?

"No, no! The guy who just passed the large Shisui player, the one who passed Shisui's Center!"

"Midorima?" asked the boy exasperated.

"NO!" said Kirimi wanting to tear off her hair. She tried to think of some other way to describe him.

"The one who's good looking!" she said desperately.

Well, he was good looking….in a soft, delicate kind of way.

"Oh you mean Kise, of course, the blonde guy who's been benched! I get it now!" said the boy, grinning.

Huh? NO! The person Kirimi was talking about was not blonde either!

"NO!" said Kirimi annoyed.

"Then who are you talking about?" asked the boy amused.

"That boy over there! The one with the pale blue hair and small stature! He's amazing at passing the ball and evading other players!" said Kirimi, her eyes shining as she looked at him.

The boy gave her a quizzical look.

"Huh? But there are only five generation of miracles…what are you talking about?"

Generation of Miracles? Was that some kind of nickname for the Teiko Team? Kirimi assumed that it was. She couldn't think what else it could be.

Five Generation of Miracles? The red head, the dark blue head, the green head, the purple head and the yellow head…yes, five. Then who was that light blue haired person? Was this boy teasing her by saying there were only five members of the Generation of, what was it, Miracles? But no one else was screaming out the name of this teal haired boy.

"B-But..." stuttered Kirimi dumbfounded.

"Maybe you should get your head checked," said the boy, laughing.

She didn't understand. Why? Why could only she see him? She listened to the others seated….they were shouting out the names of the five players but no sixth player…then who was that boy? That boy who excelled at passing like she did? She wasn't seeing some kind of ghost was she?

But for the first time in three weeks, Kirimi was actually speaking loudly, there was light in her eyes again and she felt a light that had been switched off in her had been turned on again. She just wanted to keep watching him play. Because he represented what she could do if she went on that court. She could see him, doing his best to keep up with his teammates, not faltering, not giving up even though all he did was pass the ball. She wanted….to play with him, to play with Shizuo again. She got tiny flashbacks of her fun times with Shizuo. The light in her eyes faded a bit but Kirimi was still excited.

The referee blew the whistle. The game had ended with Teikou's victory. And there he was, the mysterious boy Kirimi was obsessed with. She didn't care if she would be late today. She forgot about her parents, their warnings, her studies, how she wanted to stay away from basketball. She wanted to know who this player was and tell him that she enjoyed the match and he played brilliantly. To tell him, that this was the first and last time that she was watching a basketball match and that he had made it an awesome experience for her.

---

Once the match was over, Kirimi immediately rushed down to where the players were being interviewed. She tried to look through the crowd who were clamoring to get a glimpse at the Miracles up close. But the boy Kirimi had eyes for was not there. Maybe he had gone to the refreshments section? She immediately rushed there but there was not a soul in sight. Then, maybe he was in his team's locker room? It wouldn't be possible to meet him there…Kirimi's heart sunk. She tried to think of a way to get to the locker room but it was heavily guarded.

With a gloomy expression, Kirimi slowly dragged her feet to the exit. All she wanted was to tell him that his play had really made her feel happy but she couldn't do that. She sighed and left the stadium, her eyes looking down on the ground. But then, her eyes caught a familiar sight of light blue. Kirimi looked up and there he was, standing under lamp post, the light illuminating his pale face.

Kirimi opened her mouth.

"E-Excuse me! H-Hello there!" called Kirimi excitedly.

The teal haired boy seemingly ignored her. Why would he do that? Kirimi tried again.

"Um, hello!"

He ignored her again. Well, Kirimi wouldn't give up. She walked up to the person and tapped him on his shoulder lightly. The said person turned around slowly and blinked at her.

Kirimi smiled at him nervously. This was him. The mystery player she had seen in the stadium! Now that she looked at him closer, he looked different from other people. For one, she had never seen a person with such pale blue hair before. And he was quite thin for a basketball player. He was pale, so very pale. But his eyes, even though they were the same color as his hair, and seemed dull at first glance, beyond that, Kirimi could see brightness in them.

"Um..."said the boy."Can I help you?"

The boy had been lost in deep thought, thinking about the match he had played, his team mates and his future. He was one whom they called a person with very low presence. All this time, even though at least fifty people had passed by him, no one had seen him nor recognized him as one of the famous players of Teiko who had played in the match today. Yet, all of a sudden, now…

Kirimi saw that he had a face void of any emotion.

"Er…I've been calling out to you for the last three minutes or so…" said Kirimi awkwardly.

His expression didn't change, though his eyes twitched slightly.

"Is that so? Forgive me, I was lost in my thoughts," said the boy, analyzing the girl.

He may not have shown it but he was surprised at the purple headed girls' statement. He looked at the girl curiously. Having this young girl suddenly calling out to him was definitely a surprise. Wasn't he supposed to be the Phantom Sixth Man? If so, how had a seemingly normal young girl seen him?

"Ah…ah, well, that's ok but anyway, why I'm here is-" started Kirimi.

"Sorry, but can I ask you something?" asked the boy, interrupting her.

He was curious to know why and how the girl had noticed his presence. As far as he could remember, no one in the last three years in his middle school had even known that he existed except for his team mates and even they did not notice him most of the time.

Kirimi looked a bit taken a back but she nodded.

"S-Sure…" she said.

Hadn't she been the one who wanted to tell him something? What in the world could this boy be asking her? All she wanted to do was say a few words to this player but he seemed to staring at her as if she had a pink elephant on top of her head.

The wind blew in their direction making strands of their hair fly freely.

"When and how did you notice me?" asked the boy, his face still unchanging.

….

"…Eh?" asked Kirimi, completely lost.

What was with that weird question out of the blue? She looked at the boy. He was staring back at her as if he had just asked a very serious question.

"I-I saw you under the lamppost when I was exiting the stadium?" said Kirimi, not understanding what he meant.

"I see," said the boy.

….

….

"W-Well, anyway," said Kirimi, still nervous. "I just wanted to tell you that this was my first and last time watching a basketball match and watching your play really made me excited and helped me to enjoy the game. And your team won too right? Congratulations. Well, I'll be going now then,"

Ah, this was too awkward. Kirimi wanted to get out of his sight as soon as possible. Maybe it was what they said, like, sports people having peculiar quirks, was that it? What else could explain that queer behavior of his?

With that, Kirimi left the spot under the lamp post and ran, leaving the boy in her wake.

"Ah," said the boy, raising his hand toward the girl's retreating figure, but it was too late, she had crossed the road.

The boy just stared after her. What had just happened?

A random young girl had called out to him out of the blue and congratulated him on winning and said that his play made her excited? Had this really happened or was this some kind of illusion? Here he had been, under a lamp post with not a single soul noticing him and then this girl suddenly noticed him?

But, whatever it was, it was too late now. The girl had left and they would most probably never meet again.

---

Kirimi put down her pen and pencil and stretched her arms. She had just finished another day of study. Today she was studying physics. She did well in physics but it didn't exactly interest her. But ever since she had started playing basketball and realized how useful it was in the field, she had become more interested in it. It was amazing how she could devise new techniques of play by using physics and math.

She looked at the light blue diagram in her book.

Light blue…teal haired…

Flashback:

"When and how did you notice me?" asked the boy, his face still unchanging.

….

"…Eh?" asked Kirimi, completely lost.

What was with that weird question out of the blue? This guy was queer.

"I-I saw you under the lamppost when I was exiting the gym?" said Kirimi, still not understanding what was going on.

"I see," said the boy, his eyes not even twitching.

….

….

"W-Well, anyway," said Kirimi. "I just wanted to tell you that this was my first and last time watching a basketball match and watching your play really made me excited and helped me to enjoy the game. And your team won too right? Congratulations. Well, I'll be going now then,"

End of flashback.

Kirimi chewed the back of her pen. What had that boy meant that day when he had asked her how he had noticed her? Not to mention his play…it was similar to hers but not exactly the same. The way he passed the ball was a bit rough, while her play was smooth and steady, or so she felt. Kirimi had seats close to the basketball court that day and from what she could make out whenever the player was close enough, his hands…the way he handled the ball put more pressure on his palms. He would use less energy if he did it with his fingers and save his finger tips some unneeded pressure.

She sighed a bit sadly.

When she had gone and seen that match, she had felt a sense of longing. A longing of wanting to be in the court with those players and hold the basketball in her hands again. She longed to play with Shizuo again. She wanted to play in a team with him like they had both promised. But she didn't even know where he had gone now. Again, why had he left without telling her?

Kirimi shook her head. What was the use of mulling about all this? It's not like she was ever going to see that teal haired boy or Shizuo again. Not to mention, the only times she was let out of the house was to go to her middle school to submit reports and the like. Fortunately on that day she had gone and seen the match, like she had expected, her parents had come home very late that day well beyond when Kirimi had arrived home. But Kirimi couldn't risk doing it again. Giving the maids in her house the slip was not an easy task. And that day, most of the maids had gone for a local festival so there was no problem there.

But whenever she walked back home from Sakura Middle School after getting extra books for study, she kept going back to the basketball park in Usagi Road and used to stare at it for a few minutes every day. It was as if she was trying to grasp something from it: some kind of comfort, some kind of idea of what she should do, but, mostly for the nostalgia; because, it had been one of the places which had started it all for her.

The park didn't have kids playing in it. The kids were grown up now, probably preparing to go to high school or maybe even college. If anything, she never saw anyone there at all every evening when she went there. It seemed like people didn't use the park anymore. There were some overgrown shrubs here and there and the area had an empty feel to it. It was like fate was showing her that just like how the park had become empty her future in basketball was also going to be empty. She wondered why the park had been abandoned.

One particular day though, Kirimi did see something in the deserted park. A lone basketball which seemed to basking in the rare sunlit patch it was in. There was almost no sunlight in the park, ever. The overgrown trees made sure of that. But that day, she saw that orange ball shining slightly from a light from the distance.

Making sure no one was looking Kirimi went to park and picked up the basketball.

Had someone abandoned it? It seemed highly unlikely. But why else would someone just leave their basketball there? It didn't make much sense.

Kirimi looked at the ball closely. It was the first time she had held one in three weeks, now that she thought about it. She felt the basketball in her hands and brought it close to her chest. She could feel her heart beating against the ball. She slowly closed her eyes as she remembered how she had found basketball at the tender age of six, how she had come to this same park, how she had met Shizuo and played basketball with him.

It hurts…

She opened her eyes and looked at the ball, feeling its rough mass, rubbing it fondly. But soon she found her eyes going blurry and she realized that she had tears in her eyes. See, this is why she shouldn't have gone to see that match on that day. Because of that she was now filled with longing and she wanted to play again. She was so lost in her thoughts and sadness, she didn't hear another person approaching her and stopping suddenly when they saw her.

"Ah,"

She turned around at the sound of the voice, hurriedly wiping her eyes with her sleeve. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw who it was.

"You 're…the boy from the match," said Kirimi in surprise, her voice a bit groggy from nearly bursting into tears.

Standing there in khaki shorts and blue jacket with a polo shirt tucked in was the teal haired boy from the basketball match she had been to. The boy whose play she had found truly amazing; the boy whom she gone and talked to and he had given her such a weird response, the mysterious boy whom no else had been cheering for in the match except for her.

"Yes, I am," said the boy.

"So you are," said Kirimi, sniffing slightly. "What are you doing here?"

This was awkward. For one thing, she didn't expect to see this boy again and the same boy she had congratulated on that day had now seen her hugging a ball close to her chest. He must be thinking what a weird person she was.

"I'm here to play basketball," he replied.

She looked at him. A sudden realization hit her.

"I-I'm sorry, is this your ball?" she asked. "I just found it lying on the ground and thought that someone had left it here,"

She noticed that he was glancing at the ball she was holding to her chest. The boy didn't answer for a few moments. He just stared at her.

There was no mistaking it, it was definitely her. He could recognize her from her pale purple hair. But why was she here? And not to mention, once again, she had done something out of the ordinary. Usually, if he called out to someone, they would not find him immediately; they would look around trying to find the source of the noise. But she had found him instantly.

He had just come back to the park after finding his lost wallet when he saw a person's silhouette from the distance, which surprised him since no one else would come to this park. But then as he came closer, he saw that it was a young girl. And said young girl was actually holding, no clutching his basketball closely and…crying? But he was not an inquisitive person so he did not ask her why she had been crying.

"Yes, it is," said the boy. "When I had gotten here, I realized that my wallet was missing. So I hurried back down the road, looking for it. I forgot to take my ball with me in my desperation,"

"Oh," said Kirimi. "I hope you found your wallet then?"

The boy nodded.

"Yes, I did, thank you," he answered.

"Well, here's your ball, and, sorry again for having something which was yours," said Kirimi, throwing the ball over to him.

"It's no problem," the boy replied.

There was silence for a few moments.

"I didn't think anyone would actually be in this park," said Kirimi after a while. "I've been coming here every evening for the last few days but I would find that no one was here,"

The boy looked at the shrubs near the fence.

"Actually, I come here every day. Well, I used to, but then I had to practice in my school for the upcoming practice match you saw that day and then I had some exams to do so I didn't come here for a while. But, you are correct. No one else comes here, other than me," said the boy.

So this boy used to come here every day. That was not something Kirimi expected. Who knew that a famous player from Teiko Middle School actually played basketball in this old, abandoned park?

"I see," said Kirimi, still feeling like she was going to cry. "Well, I think I better get going now,"

It was no point remaining here any longer. For one, she liked the quietness of the park and for another; she did not want to be a disturbance to this boy while he practiced. And lastly, watching the boy here so casually saying that he was going to play basketball here made her heart feel stiff. What she would give to play along with him!

"But, didn't you just get here?" asked the boy.

He didn't know why she had come here. She didn't seem to have a basketball of her own, nor was she wearing clothes for playing basketball. She had just been standing there, in a sunlit patch, clutching his ball, as if she was in pain.

"Ah, I just came here for um," said Kirimi a bit uncomfortably, trying to think of something. "…well, it's a stupid reason really, so, good bye,"

What would she tell him really? That she was here just for nostalgia sake, for trying to find some answer for her future? That would sound even more bizarre.

And with that, Kirimi half walked, half jogged out of the park, not waiting for his answer.

The boy stared after her retreating figure.

---

For the next few days, Kirimi tried her hardest not to approach the basketball park in Usagi Road as she realized if she kept doing so and kept meeting that boy, inevitably, she would want to start playing basketball again and then her sadness would affect her studies and that was the last thing she wanted. So she concentrated on her studies, stayed at home, came home without passing by the park and did every other ordinary thing.

It had been a big mistake on her part to have gone to the basketball match and an even bigger mistake picking up the basketball. She was not going to make a third mistake by going to that park again. But fate had other plans, as usual.

Ever since that day in the basketball park, she had not been able to concentrate well on her studies at all and this was taking a slight toll on her grades. Formulae went misunderstood, plant and animal classes in biology didn't make sense and she was not able to memorize a single kanji for Japanese.

"Come on, hurry up and understand this, brain!" cried Kirimi irritated. "What's happened to you?"

But it was no use. She would start studying but in less than a minute, she would be thinking of the match she went to or the boy and his technique or Shizuo and get all sad again. It was all because of her stupidity. Why oh WHY had she gone and seen that stupid match?

She stared at her light blue ball on her bed. She always cuddled it while she slept. She looked at it, as if trying to find a solution to what she was facing. She didn't want basketball in her life anymore but it kept poking itself in. She felt like cuddling the now like cuddling it as if it was a real person, and she wanted to ask that person for comfort.

"Aoi, what should I do?" she mumbled to the light blue ball.

Telling her parents was definitely not the way to go. She would expose the fact that she had been outside the house without their permission so if they found out they'd probably confine her to her room, yes, definitely not that. But Kirimi didn't have any other friends to confide in. So she had trouble for the next few days, not being able to study, not being able to concentrate, thinking of basketball and feeling hurt and then sometimes she would cry into her pillow.

In a desperate attempt to try and study, one day, she had not slept the whole night trying to understand a particularly hard physics formula. She only had an hour's sleep. But she could not afford to have a lie in. She had an important test she had to attend to that day based on what she had studied. Therefore, that afternoon, Kirimi found herself walking to Sakura Middle School. She had finally understood the formula which would usually have only taken her an hour to understand but she was so drowsy she was afraid if she would fall asleep during the test.

Fortunately, the test went by without any trouble and Kirimi made sure to triple check her answers. But the same could not be said for Kirimi on her way home. The tiredness had really gotten to her and she was drooping on and off dangerously even though she was walking on the side walk.

"Thank goodness," Kirimi thought drearily. "I finished the test without any trouble. Now I can go home and sleep for a while…"

Her head was so foggy that she actually went through the road where the basketball park was. It was the shortest way after all. By now, she was walking like a zombie and she was about to collapse any minute. Kirimi felt black spots appearing in front of her eyes.

"Darn it," she thought, swaying from side to side. "Just a bit more….then I'll be home…then sleep….home…sleep…"

Inside the park, was the blue haired basketball player whom Kirimi had met twice in her life. He had been practicing these last few days like usual when he had noticed a zombie like person walking on the road and, alarmed, went to see what was happening. It turned out to be, to his surprise, the same purple haired girl who he had met not once, but twice.

"Excuse me," he called out to her.

She did not hear him.

"Excuse me," he tried again.

He really did wonder what she was doing rather, what was happening to her. From her face she looked seriously weak, but the boy did not have any more time to try and understand what was wrong as she looked like she was ready to collapse. There would be time for questions later. Just as she was about to completely collapse on the cold stone road, he caught her small figure just in time.

He shook her shoulder lightly, trying to wake her up. He tried calling out to her softly. It didn't work. She was completely out cold. He looked around. There didn't seem to be anyone else on the street other than him and her. For now, temporarily, carrying her on his back, he laid her on the concrete ground of the basketball park. He should probably take her to hospital or better yet, phone her parents. But she didn't seem to have any contact information with her. Even if she did, he didn't have his cell phone with him to call her parents or an ambulance.

He felt her forehead. She didn't seem to have a fever. Her breathing seemed normal, her heart rate was ok. He analyzed her with his eyes and deduced that she had simply collapsed from exhaustion. In that case, first and foremost, she needed rest. Perhaps a hospital was not needed.

He watched her sleeping figure as her chest rose up and down as she breathed. She looked as if she was resting peacefully after a very long time. But even as she slept, he could see that she seemed disturbed. An ordinary person would not know this but he, being an observant person, could tell easily.

Being the polite boy he was, he stopped practicing like usual so that he would not disturb the girl. He had definitely not expected to see this girl again nor had he expected that she would collapse in the middle of the road.

He looked at her.

Here was the same girl, who in his first encounter with her, had not only actually noticed him, but found his play impressive. He had thought about why and how she could have noticed him when usually it would be his team mates' play which others found impressive but he gave up on that. He could not come up with an answer on why she approached him of all people.

Then, he had encountered her again a week back. This time, he had found her in a sunlit patch in the park. She had been crying lightly, and had been clutching his basketball to her chest. Obviously, she had been in pain. The first time he met her, she had a nervous expression, the next time, she was crying, and this time, she collapsed in the middle of the side walk.

But all three times, their encounters had been related to basketball. The first time, it had been the basketball match and the next two times; they had also been related to basketball. It was clear that she was a fan of basketball but why had she been crying, holding the ball?

Finally, an hour later, she (Kirimi) showed signs of waking up. Her eyes twitched lightly and she opened her emerald eyes slowly. Her eyes started to adjust to her surroundings. She rubbed her eyes together and looked around.

This isn't my bed…

Her eyes searched for something familiar to her. All she could see was clouds, a fence and a few trees. Her eyes landed on something blue. Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

"Ahhhhhh!" she cried out, pointing at the blue haired boy. "Y-You!"

The boy's face turned slightly annoyed.

"That's not a very polite way to address someone is it?" he asked.

Kirimi woke up from her sleeping posture and sat up looking around.

"The basketball park? What am I doing here? I was supposed to be at home," she said wildly, looking here and there trying to make sense of why she was here, lying on her back.

What had happened? She had woken up this morning, did some final revision, gone to Sakura Middle School, written her test with no difficulty and was coming home. Her memory after that was a blur. What had happened after that?

"You collapsed on your way home," said the boy, almost reading her mind.

She looked at him, her hair messy, her clothes tussled. She smoothed out the creases on her pink jacket and rubbed her eyes one last time.

"C-Collapsed?" she said more to herself than him.

The boy nodded.

"I was practicing by myself as usual when I saw your swaying figure on the side walk. You looked like you were going to collapse any moment. So I hurriedly caught you and brought you here," he said. "How are you feeling? Do you want to go to hospital?"

Oh no, she had actually really collapsed on the way home? In broad daylight, when vehicles could be passing by? Had she been that sleepy? No wonder her memory was a blur. But, it wasn't fair. She had been able to keep herself awake during the test so why, couldn't she have stayed awake on her way home? After all this time…TIME! How long had she been asleep? Were her parents looking for her? Oh no, was she in trouble again?

"What time is it?" she suddenly asked the boy desperately, ignoring his previous question.

He looked at his watch.

"It's nearly six o clock," he replied. "You've been asleep for an hour,"

Kirimi felt a lump form in her throat. She gulped. She was supposed to be home by 5.30. Now it was nearly six? Her parents must be looking for her. She was in deep trouble. And after that resolution she had made that she wouldn't disobey them anymore…why did she have to fall asleep on her way home?

"Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital?" asked the boy. "You still look pretty tired. I would've called your parents immediately but you didn't have any contact information with you-"

Kirimi shook her head frightened at the word 'parents'. No way could she possibly call them.

"No, that won't be necessary. I'm just fine. I need to get home-"

Kirimi tried to stand up, emphasis on the word 'tried'. The moment she tried to push herself up and stand, her legs and arms gave away and she landed with a small thunk on the ground again.

"It seems your body thinks otherwise," said the boy.

Here she was saying that she would not approach the basketball park again or him for that matter but look at her now. And she was too weak to get up and go home. Her parents would probably be informing the police about how she was missing right now. She had to call them and tell them she was ok. But she was not brave enough. What would she say if they asked her why she was late? And if she told them she had collapsed, they would ask why and that would lead to more unpleasant questions.

"Are you sure you don't want to call your parents?" asked the boy. "It's going to get dark soon. I'm sure they're worried about you,"

Oh, they'd be worried about her alright. But Kirimi thought she should be more worried about herself when her parents got their hands on her.

It was all her fault. This would not have happened if she hadn't gone to that basketball match. Going to that basketball match had rekindled her love for basketball. Because of that, she had not been able to concentrate on her studies and that was the reason she had to cram. Kirimi clenched her fists. Yes, this was all her fault.

What would she do now? She weighed her options. Calling her parents….no, Kirimi was too afraid to do that. Not to mention if they found her in the basketball park, what would they say? They would suspect that she had been playing basketball and how much trouble would she be in then? The nearest bus stop was an option. But in her weak condition, she wouldn't be able to do that either.

The boy watched her as she was pondering on what to do.

"I don't mean to pry," he said. "But what happened to you?"

Last time, he had not asked her why she had been crying because he didn't want to be inquisitive. Well, here he was, doing the opposite of what he had said at that time. Apparently, the girl also thought that his question was a bit unnecessary because she didn't answer for a few moments.

Kirimi stopped pondering for a moment.

"Ah…I stayed up late studying for my exam today," she answered a bit reluctantly.

Well, it was true, even if Kirimi didn't want to admit it. She had never stayed up late studying before but this time she had because well, things get tough, you had to resort to desperate measures. And she needed to get a very good grade in her exam today or she would be in trouble with her parents when the results came in.

"That's no good," said the boy in a normal chiding way. "It's no good at all to cram for exams on the night before. Suppose I hadn't caught you, you would have collapsed on the road,"

Kirimi felt another lump in her throat.

She knew it was wrong, darn it. She even prided herself on being a girl who didn't cram for tests. She always finished her assignments on time, had already started tackling subjects way beyond her years and was always prepared for surprise tests and exams well in advance.

"I know, I know. Actually, I almost never cram for any test at all. But…"

The girl looked like she was holding back a lot of words she wanted to say. Kirimi was trying to control herself.

Really, why was she like this? It was her own fault for going to see that basketball match, it was her fault for visiting the basketball park, her fault for letting thoughts about basketball haunt her during her study time, but she just felt so angry but at the same time she felt sad. She felt a pang in her heart. She found basketball. She wanted to play it. She wasn't allowed to. She went to school and met Shizuo. She started playing with him. She really thought that basketball was her future…her future with Shizuo. It had all been taken away from her.

Kirimi felt tears coming to her eyes. But she also felt like throwing something. Her hands were twitching, her lower lip trembling and she started to gulp slightly to try and control the impending array of emotions which were going to burst through her. Her hand injury, her parents opposition, the place where she had met basketball, the park in Usagi Road in which she was now, it was empty, like her heart. And now she was in trouble again with her parents.

The boy was watching her as her face changed from sadness to frustration to anger.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked.

He had been the one who had actually bothered to catch her collapsing figure and had given her shelter in the basketball park he used. So why was he being glared at? Well, he was being a bit inquisitive. He didn't realize that a time bomb was going to explode. He noticed that the girl's forehead was turning red and her eyes were twitching strangely.

This isn't good, thought Kirimi. She felt like bursting into tears. But she couldn't afford to do that. She couldn't lose control. The lump in Kirimi's throat was getting bigger by the second.

The boy looked at her in a concerned way.

"Um, are you ok-"

"I'm fine," said Kirimi thickly, cutting through him, about to explode any second. "J-Just fine. I'm going now. Thanks for being so nice to me,"

She had to get away from here fast. She had to go home now. She slowly picked herself up from the ground and started walking away, unsteadily. Her body was still weak and tired.

"You shouldn't do that," called the boy. "You could fall and hurt yourse-"

As if on cue, seven steps later, Kirimi swayed away extremely to the right, lost her balance and fell. She didn't get up. She let out a small 'ah' as she fell.

As she lay on the ground, Kirimi found her eyes getting blurry.

The teal haired boy looked at her a bit worriedly. When he went to her side, he saw her lying on the ground, her body shaking lightly.

When she had fallen, she had grazed her elbow lightly but it was not something she would cry about. No, she was not crying because she had grazed her elbow. She had felt like crying even before she had fallen. She was crying for other reasons.

"Are you ok?" he asked, surprise still not betraying his face. "Where does it hurt?"

She just continued to sob. He tried to think of what to do. Should he call the girl's parents? Maybe he should have done that in the first place. It was also getting a bit dark so her parents would be worried. He had never been in this kind of situation before so he didn't know what to do.

"I know you said you don't want to call your parents but I think you should-"

"It's all because I was such an IDIOT!" exploded Kirimi, cutting through him.

The boy's eyes widened slightly.

"Um what-"

Kirimi was now breathing heavily. Strands of her hair were hanging comically around her face. Tears had started to fall from her eyes. She didn't understand what fate was trying to tell her. At one point, it told her basketball was meant for her. But in another situation, she felt as if basketball was something she would never be able to do.

"Why? After all what's happened, after all I've done to get back to normal, after all my attempts to rid myself of it, why does it keep coming back?" she half-whispered, half cried.

The boy didn't know what to say or do.

The first time in the park when she was six, she didn't know anything, she had been mesmerized. She asked her parents if she could play basketball and they refused. It should have ended there. But it didn't. She went to school, she experienced basketball again through Shizuo and she thought again that basketball was something she could always rely on in the future. But then her life got messed up again. Shizuo and basketball…both were taken away from her.

"I tried so hard, so hard. Everything was going fine. But with that one vulnerable moment, I fell into the trap again. And now, it's taking over my life again when I don't want it to anymore!" said Kirimi, tear drops falling on the ground as fast as they were evaporating.

So why had fate, no, why had she messed up again by going to the stupid basketball match and getting her hopes lit up again when it was impossible for her to play again?

The teal haired boy had no idea what the girl was talking about. It seemed like the girl was telling him her personal problems? This is why he should not have been inquisitive. Now, he was in this situation. All the same, having a girl bawling her eyes out in front of him like this was a bit unnerving. Momoi had cried sometimes during his time in Teiko but this purple haired girl was a complete stranger.

The girl was now sniffing, hands in her eyes. It seemed that she had calmed down ever so slightly after pouring out some of her feelings.

Whatever it was, a girl was crying in front of the boy and he, being the polite boy he was, had to comfort her since he was a boy. She maybe a stranger but she was a crying girl. He could at least try and comfort her, he thought.

The boy slowly approached Kirimi and rubbed her head softly albeit a bit awkwardly. He hoped she would not start crying again.

Kirimi struggled to control her tears.

"Um," he started awkwardly. "I don't know what exactly what happened but, it's not good to cry so hard like this. You're straining your already energy drained body,"

Kirimi couldn't believe that she had suddenly lost control like that, in front of a stranger. She tried to stop crying but she couldn't stop. She didn't even have the strength to apologize to the stranger for suddenly crying like this in front of him. She had been diminished, greatly saddened yes, but she had no idea that she had so much pent up frustrations inside of her. And why did it have to come out now of all times? With a pang, she remembered that her parents would definitely be searching for her now and she started crying again.

"But no matter how rough it gets," said the boy saying something you'd normally say to comfort someone, noticing that she had started crying again. "Things will eventually get better-"

"It won't get better," Kirimi croaked, gulping a few tears down and shaking her head. "I made a stupid mistake and now it won't get better. It'll only get worse,"

What on earth was she doing pouring out her emotions to a stranger? The thought didn't occur to her. She was just satisfied that she had someone who was listening to her. It was rude of her really. She could just say 'Ok, thanks for everything' and then run home without going through any more awkward moments. But she couldn't.

The boy had definitely not anticipated abandoning his basketball practice to comfort a strange girl. He didn't even know her. Yet here she was, pouring out her emotions before him. He didn't exactly mind though. It was just a bit unnerving, that's all. Before the boy could say anything, Kirimi spoke again.

"I was supposed to stay away from it, never approach it again, but I did. I was such an idiot. I was slowly starting to get it into my mind that it wasn't for me. So why, in that one vulnerable moment when I attended the stupid basketball match, did things have to collapse all over again? I just-"

"Just a minute," said the boy, cutting through. "You mean all this time you were talking about basketball?"

The boy's mind suddenly went 'ding' when she said the word 'basketball'; a basketball match to be exact. Could it be that she was talking about the match he had played in? The match where he had seen her for the first time?

Kirimi sniffed and tried to wipe off some tears.

"Yes, isn't that obvious?" she asked clueless. "I told you that day, didn't I? That the match I saw you play in was my last match?"

"Well, but the meaning wasn't very clear", thought the boy, remembering what the girl had said on the day he had met her for the first time. Now that he thought about it, she had mentioned that it was her first and last time watching a basketball match. He had been so obsessed with finding out she had seen him despite his low presence that it didn't register immediately.

The poor girl was so emotionally and physically drained that she didn't even realize she didn't mention the context of what she was talking about. Only when she had mentioned the word 'basketball' had things started to click for the blue headed boy. The boy didn't exactly remember every word Kirimi had said, but he seemed to understand some of it.

"Only," she continued, giving the boy no chance to speak. "Because I watched that match, now it's distracting me from everything I do. I can't concentrate on anything because I want to play basketball,"

The boy was puzzled at this new piece of information.

"So why don't you?"

He was starting to become quite inquisitive but he couldn't help it. It was a bit crazy but, in the back of his mind, the boy was curious to know more about this girl. He had already been curious the first time when she actually noticed his presence and congratulated him on his play, which was something no one else other than his team mates had ever done. The second time, he realized something about the girl he hadn't known before. And the third time, now, well…he himself didn't know what was going on.

Kirimi looked at him with a tear strained face. She was about to tell him when she looked away.

"Various reasons…" she mumbled.

She couldn't tell him. Kirimi had only realized now that she had been telling a stranger her tale of woe. She couldn't take back all she said. She had already exposed enough. He must be thinking that she had a screw loose. She couldn't tell him about her injured hand and her parents' opposition. Speaking of her parents, Kirimi wondered where they were now. They would probably be combing the streets looking for her. She felt her heart hammering.

The boy's eyes narrowed lightly.

"I still don't really understand," he said after a few moments. "But you shouldn't try and push basketball away like that,"

Kirimi stared at him in disbelief. What did he know about her? He didn't know anything. Granted, how was he supposed to know anything? He was a stranger! How many times had Kirimi repeated that in her head? The irony of it all!

"W-Why shouldn't I? It's only brought me pain," said Kirimi.

Kirimi didn't notice that the boy had flinched for a second. Pain….through basketball.

"I wonder about that," he said. "Are you sure that it's causing you pain or you're causing pain on yourself by pushing it away?"

Kirimi stopped sniffing all of a sudden.

"H-Huh?" she asked, feeling slightly conflicted. "What are you talking about? I tried my best in basketball, I never gave up on it, even though things were always disadvantageous for me, I always pulled through,"

She was the one who ran outside the hotel and found basketball when she was six, she was the one who had braved her mother by running to the basketball park she was sitting on today those years ago just because she was so interested in it, and she was the one who had approached Shizuo about basketball.

"But from what you're saying, you're giving up now aren't you?" asked the boy.

Kirimi was taken aback. She had something to say in her defense.

"I'm not giving up," she said. "I'm only getting rid of something that was obviously never meant for me from the start. It's no use doing something if it's not meant for you,"

The boy looked at her a bit pitifully.

He felt his chest tighten. What this girl was saying, it was oddly familiar how he had been only a few weeks back. It was for different reasons, but since he had gone through the same feeling, he indeed felt pity.

"I think you're saying that just to escape yourself from getting hurt again,"

Both girl and boy had forgotten that they were strangers; Kirimi had forgotten that she was late and that she was in trouble, whatever had registered in her head earlier about her talking too much to a stranger had long since vanished. The boy had forgotten about his basketball practice. Both were now talking as if they were two friends having a debate.

Kirimi looked at him defiantly.

"So? What's wrong with not wanting to get hurt? I've got enough hurt from basketball and I don't want any more of it," said Kirimi, her expression sour.

Kirimi saw the boy's expressionless eyes darken slightly.

"But," he said. "Is hurt the only thing you've gotten from basketball?"

What else had she gotten from it? It was disappointment after disappointment. Sadness, anger, physical and mental hurt.

"Of course it is. I have no doubt about it," said Kirimi, shivering slightly because it was now getting darker and the air was turning colder.

The boy gave her a thoughtful look. Yes, this was definitely familiar, quite familiar. The look in her eyes, they were very familiar.

"I don't think so," he said softly. "The look on your face that day definitely didn't say so,"

Kirimi looked at him, puzzled. She momentarily stopped sniffing.

"What are you talking about?"

The boy's blue eyes became normal again. But now there was a small gleam in them.

"That day in this same park," he said. "I saw the way you were holding the ball. You were crying, you were in pain, but it was a different sort of pain. It was a pain of longing,"

Kirimi's breath hitched for a second. She stared at the teal haired boy as if she had never seen him before. She hadn't realized that he had actually seen her crying and clutching the ball to her chest. She thought her back was turned to him so he hadn't seen.

"The look your face as you held the ball," he continued. "You held it was if it was your life. You were crying because you were sad at yourself for pushing basketball away, the basketball which you love,"

Kirimi felt a surge of pain and anger and sadness at the same time.

"I-I don't love it." said Kirimi shortly, biting her lip, stuttering slightly.

She didn't love something which only brought her pain. But as she continued to talk to this boy, she was feeling more and more conflict inside her. She liked it but at the same time she didn't. On one side, her mind was telling her that she had to stop talking to this boy who was only filler head with delusions. Think about all the pain basketball had caused her.

"Really?" said the boy. "But that day when we first met, when you talked about basketball to me, your eyes were shining,"

Kirimi paused as she was about to retort again. She pondered on what he was saying.

This was…true. As Kirimi recalled, that the day when after a long time she had actually spoken loudly, become excited, had actually felt life in her again after those agonizing three weeks. She had gone to basketball match even though she didn't want and had become excited when she saw people playing in the court in the stadium.

The boy looked at Kirimi in a knowing way as he saw her eyes showing doubt.

"B-But-"

The boy cut through her.

"If you really didn't like basketball, then why did you go that match? Why did you cheer for me, a basketball player, if you don't like basketball anymore?"

"T-That's…um…" said Kirimi unsurely. She looked at the ground.

He didn't care if it was weird. He didn't care if this girl was a stranger. All he knew was that this girl was on the brink of possibly quitting basketball. He had nearly quit basketball just recently and he had felt horrible. At times like these, it didn't matter if someone was a stranger or a friend. He didn't want someone else to quit basketball and regret it painfully later.

"See?" he whispered. "All this time, except for that day you were holding the ball, you were thinking of basketball as a hindrance. You did not look at all the good things it had done for you,"

Kirimi felt tears coming to her eyes again.

"G-Good things?" she said, this time not with defiance, but with uncertainty.

Basketball had brought her good things…? She closed her eyes for a moment.

"Has basketball only brought you sadness?"

Kirimi opened her eyes. She looked at the ball lying next to the boy, the silent witness to their conversation. The more she stared at it, the more memories began to play in her head. That day, when she had escaped from the stuffy meeting from when she was six years old, watching the boy play basketball was what had made her eyes glow for the first time.

No…!

When she had escaped from the watchful eyes of her mother to go to the park in Usagi Road, when she had held a basketball for the first time, she had felt that there was actually light in her heart.

No…?

She recalled the moment she discovered the basketball hoop in Shizuo's backyard for the first time. How excited she had been…how she had been positively trembling at a chance to play, no, to hold a basketball in her hand again.

No...Yes?

She remembered how happy she had been when she had been able to become closer to Shizuo through basketball. She had been wrong. She thought that she and Shizuo would have always remained friends but they would never have gotten that close if it hadn't been for basketball.

Basketball….Basketball! Kirimi clutched at her heart as her eyes began to water not from sadness, but from staring at the basketball for so long.

But, even so, even if this was all true, no, scratch that, it was true, she had just been denying her feelings, and she had wanted to escape from being hurt so she had pushed basketball away since it was the hurt. But now, she realized that she was the one hurting herself by pushing it away. But, even then, she could never play in a match or with team mates in a school. Her parents were one obstacle. Her hand injury was another.

She felt a flash of frustration amidst the conflict and realization.

"Even then, what's the use? I'll still never be able to play again. So what's the use of raising my hopes like this?" she said. "You have no idea what it feels like to have something you put your heart and soul into taken away from you like that, how you feel so crushed after all the dedication you put through,"

"You still haven't properly explained one thing," he said, acting as if he hadn't heart Kirimi's last sentence properly, though he had and it had stuck him deeply. "Why is it that you can't play basketball?"

This question again.

"T-That…well. It's something a person like you wouldn't understand anyway. You're in a great basketball team, you have loving teammates who share the same passion as you do, what would you need to worry about? You wouldn't understand my reasons," said Kirimi, showing her frustration on the boy.

Kirimi put her hands over her mouth. What had she done? She had let her emotions control her. She had just spoken rudely to a stranger who had actually been listening to her, comforting her while she had been wasting his time. When she looked up, she saw the boy look at her, the gleam in his eyes all gone. She felt that he wanted to tell her something. But he didn't. The minute she had finished, she immediately felt really mean for saying that to him. It was true that he was in a team but she shouldn't have let her jealously show like that.

"I'm sorry," said Kirimi almost immediately. "I-I really didn't mean to say that. I-I just let my frustrations get to me and showed it out on you, really, I didn't mean it. More like, thank you. Even though I just started throwing what I was feeling on you after you helped me when I collapsed, without even properly thanking you for what you did, you kept listening to me and even gave me advice even though I'm a total stranger, a totally rude stranger at that you-"

"I don't have all that," said the boy, cutting through Kirimi's excessively long apology cum thankfulness.

"-Ah," said Kirimi, cut short, who was still apologizing. But then she digested what he said. "Eh?"

The boy looked at her with lost eyes.

"A great basketball team, teammates who share the same passion as me…I don't have those, and I do have a lot of things to worry about,"

It had just come out of him without realizing it. When she had said those words, the painful memories which were only floating slightly came in full force back to him. The girl's words had been hurtful but what she had said had impacted him a lot.

Kirimi looked at him.

"What are you-" she started.

But before she could finish her sentence, Kirimi's attention was pulled to a shiny black car which was stopping in front of the basketball park. Kirimi's eyes widened in fear. She recognized that car instantly. She would recognize it from a mile away. It was her parents' car.

"Oh, no…" she whispered fearfully.

---

She was in deep trouble, very deep trouble. She had been so focused on talking to the teal haired boy that she completely forgot about her parents. The sky was dark now. How much time had passed since then? She had already been late when she had first woken up but now, now, it was even later. Now that she thought about it, Kirimi was surprised that police cars hadn't approached her. She was sure her parents would have made the whole police department look for her. What would she do now?

The boy also looked to the road where he saw two very high-profile people, a man and a woman stepping out of the car frantically, heading towards the purple haired girl. He turned his eyes back to the girl who had suddenly turned very pale. He wondered why.

When she saw her mother and father approaching, Kirimi felt her heart jump to her throat. She wasn't stupid enough to try and run away or hide. So what if she did? She would have to explain herself sometime or the other. Delaying things wouldn't make it any better. So there she stood, waiting.

Hiro(her father) and Mayu(her mother) were panting from tiredness and desperation. Mayu gave a gasp when she spotted her daughter. She hugged her desperately, clinging to her for a few seconds. But that soon turned to anger. She gave Kirimi a hard slap across her face.

"Kirimi," her father barked, still panting slightly. "Where in the world have you been?"

Kirimi flinched, from both the slap and her father's voice. She really didn't know what to do. She was too frightened.

The teal haired boy was just watching soundlessly. He assumed that these two people were the girl's parents. Because of his low presence, they didn't notice him as usual.

"U-Um," she stuttered, her hands shaking.

Her mother put a hand over her chest.

"Goodness, do you know what you've put us through?" she said, her voice shrilly. "Every single person in the police station is looking for you, searching high and low. Your father and I were also searching frantically. We combed through the whole city. And finally we find you here in…"

Mayu stopped speaking momentarily, looking around at her surroundings. Her eyes widened when she saw a basketball hoop on a pillar. Her look of shock turned to immense anger in a matter of seconds.

This was it, there was no escape now.

"…a basketball park?" finished her father in shock. His eyes found the abandoned basketball on the ground.

Kirimi gulped, feeling her mother's hold on her shoulder was tightening by the second.

"Okaa-san, th-this is-" started Kirimi desperately.

But her mother cut her off with another slap. Kirimi bit her lip from the pain in her left cheek. She didn't say anything after that.

There was silence for a few moments as the wind blew past and Mayu gave Kirimi a long hard stare.

"So," said Mayu, her voice shaking. "Were you having a nice time, Kirimi?"

Kirimi tried to keep calm.

"Here we are, your father and I," said Mayu, her voice still shaking. "Coming home after a meeting tired and dreary only to soon find out our daughter hasn't come home. After forty five minutes, we got very worried. We informed the police, we ourselves also started searching for you and here you are,"

Kirimi felt a stab of guilt. But at the same time she felt a small stab of anger at her mother pronouncing the word 'basketball' as if it was something worthless.

Her father looked livid.

"I-I-"

But her father cut through her.

"After all this time, after all that has happened, after how many times we repeatedly told you," said her father. "Why can't you understand, Kirimi? Why must you put us through this?"

It was coming. The sheer amount of scolding Kirimi would get today would probably me more than she had received in her life. But she didn't try to defend herself. After all, all evidence was against her. The basketball park, the basketball, was being missing for two hours. She was doomed.

In the middle of all this, one person was ignored. The teal haired boy didn't know what was going on. When the woman first slapped the girl, he thought it was just out of worry. But why was it that when both parents saw the basketball their expressions turned icy?

Kirimi didn't answer. She just looked down on the ground.

"Answer us, Kirimi!" her father shot. "Do you have any idea how disobedient you're being right now? After all we've both told you, about how we expressly forbid you from doing it, you continue to do it? How can you be so selfish?"

Kirimi felt her eyes going blurry. She opened her mouth but no words were coming out.

"Tell us Kirimi. Why? Is this…this worthless, useless, sport which will get you nowhere in the doctor's world, basketball, so important to you? So important that you want to waste time like this, wasting the time you have preparing for your future which we've already set you? How can you be so ungrateful?" asked her mother, her nails digging into Kirimi's shoulders.

"A-Ah-ah…um….ah," stuttered Kirimi like a little rabbit.

She wasn't being ungrateful. All she wanted was to play a sport. She felt like she was six again, having unspoken thoughts in her head.

"Not to mention," continued her mother, glaring at her. "After you got that injury of yours I thought you would have sincerely learned your lesson. But no, your stubbornness is shocking,"

"Injury?" thought the teal haired boy, who was silently observing all of this. Was that why the girl wasn't playing basketball?

"Yet, you have nothing to say for yourself?" asked her mother coldly.

What could Kirimi say? Anything she said would be considered stupid or idiotic or dumb in their books regarding basketball. Kirimi said nothing, she just gulped.

Her mother gave out a hard sigh.

"You lied to us back at that time and paid the price but didn't learn your lesson. Your injured your good wrist. Wasn't that enough of a lesson for you? " said her mother.

Kirimi's right wrist twitched. She felt tears coming up to her eyes again as she recalled bad memories from that time again. She struggled to control them.

Her mind was in conflict again. These few weeks, she had stayed away from basketball and had been miserable, subdued and disappointed. Today, when she had met the teal haired boy again, he had only started rekindling the fire in her but once again, something wrong had to happen, this time, again in the form of her parents.

"I….I…" uttered Kirimi desperately.

"What's wrong with playing basketball?" cut through a small but firm voice.

Kirimi, who had been lost in her own thoughts, quickly turned her head to the source of the voice. Her eyes caught a shade of blue. Standing there with a determined but still slightly emotionless face, but with a bold stance, was the teal haired boy. He was still here. Why? She thought that he'd have gone home by now. She didn't think he'd still be here. After all, who would want to be stuck in the middle of an argument?

Kirimi's parents had to look around for a minute or two until they found the source of the voice, unlike Kirimi. Her father did a double take and her mother gasped.

"Y-You!" said her father shocked. "Who are you? How long have you been here?"

The boy bowed.

"Forgive me for listening in on your conversation, sir. I assure you that I did not mean any harm. My name is Kuroko Tetsuya. I've been here the whole time," the boy, Kuroko, answered, not showing any fear.

"Kuroko…Tetsuya," thought Kirimi, her mind forgetting for a moment of her predicament.

It occurred to Kirimi that after all the time she had spent talking to him, she had not asked for his name nor introduced herself. In the back of her head, she felt ashamed for her bad manners.

"B-Been here the whole time?" exclaimed her mother, wondering how on earth she had not sensed the presence of this boy. She was sure that Kirimi had been the only one here.

Kuroko Tetsuya nodded.

"Yes, the whole time, since the beginning," he said with a blank stare.

Mayu tried to regain her composure. So he had somehow slipped their eyes. They were too focused on Kirimi and had not been able to see this boy. That had to be the explanation.

"And? What is your business here, young man? Clearly you can see that my husband and I are in the middle of admonishing our daughter? You have nothing to do with it. Unless…"

Mayu narrowed her eyes.

"…you happen to be a new basketball playmate of hers?"

The boy, still expressionless, shook his head.

Normally, by now, he would be preparing to go home but today was definitely not a normal day. Here he was in the middle of two people scolding their child. He was a very polite boy so normally, he would have stepped out of a situation like this not wanting to be in the way but because it was this purple haired girl, he remained. His instinct told him to stay.

When her parents had stepped out of the car, they had, like almost all people, ignored him. That was to be expected. When he had seen them scolding the girl, he thought it was normal. After all, they had probably been worried about her. But then, they started talking about something which struck him as odd. Both parents had seemed angry about her playing basketball. He couldn't understand why. But as the conversation went on, when her mother talked about 'the family name', 'greatest doctor in Japan' and such, he was sort of getting the picture.

And then, they mentioned something else, an injury. An injury which the girl had possibly gotten while she had been playing basketball? Was this and her parents' opposition the reason why the girl had not answered clearly when he had asked her why she didn't play basketball? It seemed so.

"No, Mam. I can assure you that I've never played basketball with your daughter, not even once," he said.

"Then who are you?" asked Kirimi's father puzzled. "You say you're not a friend of Kirimi's yet here you are speaking up for her?"

Kuroko nodded.

"Yes, I do. I wanted to ask, what's wrong with your daughter playing basketball?"

It took a few moments for Kirimi's parents to understand what he was saying. They had been so focused on the boy that they had nearly forgotten about the argument they were having with Kirimi. Kirimi's father looked as if he was teetering between telling the boy or not. After all, he was just a stranger who was asking inquisitive questions.

"A child like you wouldn't understand. You are just a young boy unaware of anything asking stupid inquisitive questions," said her father gruffly. "We have no time for people like you. Mayu, take Kirimi to the car, let's go home,"

Mayu took hold of Kirimi's hand and started dragging her away. Kirimi wanted to tell her parents that she didn't want to leave, that she wanted to stay with the boy….with Tetsuya-kun longer but she was too afraid to do it.

"Wait!" called out the boy in a stronger voice.

Hiro stopped in his tracks. Mayu also paused.

Kirimi, whose hand was being held by her mother, looked at the boy wondering what he was doing. Why was he sticking up for her like this, trying to help her? She had never done anything for him. Heck, she had only seen him thrice in her life. So why?

"What is it?" Hiro asked coldly. "I am a very busy man,"

The boy wasted no time in getting his message across.

"It is true that I know almost nothing your affairs but what I do know is that your daughter clearly loves basketball. You shouldn't take it away from her like this,"

Kirimi let out a small gasp. Mayu stood up to her fullest height.

"And who are you, a simple boy, to tell us what to do with our only daughter? What do you know about us?"

The boy…Tetsuya-kun, kept his ground, looking determinedly at Mayu.

"From your conversation with your daughter, I only know very little, but I do know a few things. Why do you consider basketball to be useless and not let you daughter play it? Sports are good a child's physical and mental health, and it's a fun sport so what is wrong with her playing it?" he asked.

Kuroko couldn't bear this. Yes, he was a stranger but the look on that girl….Kirimi's face when her parents were scolding her about playing basketball, it was painful to look at. Had she really been holding down all these feelings all this time? Had she been oppressed from playing basketball all this time? It must have been horrible for her. These people were part of the reason why the girl…Kirimi had been angry at basketball. Well, he would do something about it, if he could.

"I have you already told you boy, you have nothing to do with this and you know nothing," said Mayu, preparing to leave again.

"Wait!" called out the boy once again.

"What now?" asked Kirimi's father irritated.

This just refused to give up. He was annoying both Mayu and Hiro and wasting their precious time. But he wouldn't let them go.

Kuroko looked at Kirimi with pitiful eyes. Having something precious taken away from you…trying to push that precious something away before it completely leaves you to avoid hurt. He knew those feelings very well. He couldn't bear it to see another person going through it.

"Don't you see how much your daughter is suffering when you take basketball away from her like that? Don't you see how it's affecting her?" asked the boy sincerely.

Kirimi was just watching the boy, unable to express how grateful she was for sticking up for her for so long. Watching the boy talk to her parents this way, it was slowly bringing warmth to her heart. She wanted to say something to them as well.

"It can't be helped. The sooner she gets rid of this liking for basketball from her, the better," Kirimi's father said.

"Why?" asked the boy.

Kirimi's mother sighed.

"There's nothing wrong with playing basketball, at least for people like you. But Kirimi is not an ordinary girl. She is the daughter of the Ayasaki's and she has the family name to uphold. She does not have time to waste on silly little games like ordinary children. She must devote herself to study otherwise she will never make it as someone worthy of the Ayasaki family. Things like basketball will only distract her. There. I have explained it to you. Now we shall take our leave,"

"Why?" asked the boy again.

Kirimi's parents turned back to the boy yet again.

"Why would it be a distraction for her?" asked the boy.

Mayu spluttered in disbelief. This boy, continuously asking stupid questions was so infuriating.

"Why, isn't it obvious? She will have less time to study, she would become exhausted easily and thinking about basketball would distract her when she is studying! Enough silly questions! We are taking our leave once and for all!"

Kirimi felt a small tingle in her heart.

"No…no I won't. No I didn't," thought Kirimi. All the time she had played basketball with Shizuo, she always studied first, made sure to finish all her school work before playing basketball. She had no problem balancing basketball and studies in her life. She clenched her left fist.

"But, mam," said the boy. "What if I told you that this will also stop her from studying well and becoming a doctor as you wish for her to become?"

Mayu stopped almost immediately. She looked at the boy in a curious but angry way.

"What?" she asked shocked. "What nonsense are you sprouting, boy?"

"Preventing someone from doing something they love can also have a bad effect on a person you know," he said.

Mayu opened her mouth to retort but in the last second she changed the question she was going to ask him.

"You say you're not a friend of Kirimi's yet you're speaking for her like this," said her mother. "Just who are you then? Why are you so concerned about our daughter?"

The boy had been prepared for this question. Rather, he had expected it long before this.

"I am merely a person who loves basketball. So when I see someone else struggling by not being able to play basketball, I feel I have to do something about it, to do the best I can for her sake since she loves it so much," Kuroko answered.

Mayu's nose flared.

"Well then, if you're supposed to be a basketball enthusiast, let me just tell you that this conversation is pointless because Kirimi cannot play basketball even if she wants to. I'm sure you heard me say but she injured her hand by playing her dear basketball and therefore cannot play anymore. What use is it for her to harp on about basketball even if she can't play it?"

"That's-"

"I don't mind," whispered Kirimi, speaking up at last, her hand still held by her mother.

The teal haired boy, Kuroko stopped speaking.

Mayu and Hiro turned their heads to face their daughter. What did she just say?

"What?" asked Mayu.

It was enough. It was more than enough. Kirimi had to say something. She was letting this boy speak for her as if she had no mouth of her own. But Kirimi did have a mouth of her own. She had just been afraid of using it lest she would face her parents' wrath. But no, for today, at least for now, she would actually speak her mind for once. She wouldn't lie to them like the time she lied to them when she was with Shiuzo. She would tell them what she felt.

This boy sticking up for her had given her a strength she didn't know she'd possessed and this was probably the only chance Kirimi was going to get to speak to her parents clearly, and she was not going to let go of this opportunity. She closed her eyes. She could hear Shizuo cheering her on. She opened them again. Kirimi unclenched her fist. She took a deep breath and looked at her mother with a determined face.

"I don't mind if I can't play it," said Kirimi in a voice where she was trying to hold in her emotions but at the same trying to sound strong.

Kirimi's mother and father were rendered speechless for a few moments.

"Kirimi-" started her mother.

"Even when I was little," said Kirimi, cutting across her mother. "Even when I was only six and encountered that basketball park for the first time, when I came to this park for the first time, even though I didn't know how to play it, I just wanted to hold the ball, that was all I wanted,"

She looked at her parents with a pleading look.

"Even if I've injured my wrist and I can't play again, I don't mind. I just want to be around basketball, in a place surrounded by people playing basketball; if I can watch others play it, that's more than enough for me,"

Kirimi's parents didn't answer. Kirimi took this as a sign that she could continue. Her heart and her voice were getting stronger as she spoke.

"But you know, not once did I ever think that basketball was more important than my studies, okaa-sama, otou-sama," said Kirimi, wanting to make that point clear. "I just…I just wanted to do something that I loved, that's all,"

Kirimi finished speaking. She didn't know what good it would do, if anything it would make her parents even angrier since she had talked back to them which was the height of disobedience but there was this feeling in Kirimi's heart she had not felt before; a sense of fulfillment. That she had accomplished something she had wanted to do since forever.

There was a pause.

Kuroko Tetsuya, the boy, looked at Kirimi's face which was filled with relief and inwardly smiled. She looked as if she had done something she had never done in her life. It was nothing much, but he was glad that he had helped the girl come straight with her feelings.

"A-All the same," said her father sternly, after a few moments. "We told you to stay away from basketball entirely and-"

"Is is that important you?" asked Mayu, cutting through Kirimi's father.

Kirimi stared at her. Her mother looked as if she was chewing a very nasty sour lemon but at the same time eating a sweet mango. As if she didn't know what to do. For the first time, her mother looked confused.

"Basketball…is it that important to you?" repeated Mayu, an unreadable expression on her face. She looked 90% stern and 10% worried.

"Ah...yes," asked Kirimi bit unsurely, not understand what her mother was getting at "It is,"

Kirimi's father opened his mouth to protest again but Kirimi's mother cut across him again.

"So important that you're willing to study for extra hours just to play it?" she asked.

Kirimi at first didn't know what to answer but then she took a deep breath.

"Yes. It is. I've loved it since I was a little girl and I always will. I tried stopping it just like both of you said but I never succeeded. It always came back to me. Even when-"

She glanced at Tetsuya-kun.

"-Even when I tried to push it away myself," said Kirimi. "But, I always knew how important my studies were and I never wanted to disappoint the both of you so I always made sure studies came first and basketball second,"

Mayu said nothing.

Kirimi didn't know what was going through her mother's head. She looked unreadable. Kirimi didn't know if she was going to shout at her, slap her or tell her to shut up.

Mayu's own green eyes locked on Kirimi's. She stared long and hard as if trying to analyze whether anything Kirimi said was not true. But then, finally, she closed her eyes and let out a tired sigh.

"Very well," she said finally.

Kuroko, Hiro and Kirimi perked up. What?

Mayu's bottom lip was trembling.

"I don't know what kind of pleasure you'll get by being around a sport you won't be able to play nor do I understand what you see in that sport but…but…I…I suppose, that as long as it doesn't interfere with your studies, it should be alright…for now," she said a bit unwillingly.

Kirimi couldn't believe her ears.

"E-Eh?" she uttered.

Hiro also looked like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"You said it didn't you? That just being around basketball is enough? Well, alright then, have it your way. Watch basketball matches, talk to people like this boy here-"

She glanced at Kuroko.

"-about basketball. If that makes you so happy and will not interfere but actually help with your concentration when you study,"

Kirimi was just standing there with her mouth open, her fingers trembling.

Then Mayu glared at Kirimi again.

"But," she said. "If I find that your grades are going down, I will confine you to the house, Kirimi. Mark my words. Now, go on. Stay with this boy and talk about basketball. I expect you home by nine,"

With that, Mayu walked away.

Hiro was gaping like a goldfish.

"B-but, Mayu dear! What are you saying? This is-"

"Let her be, Hiro," said Mayu.

In a few moments, after a few words from Kirimi's mother, which were treated with a series of splutters from Kirimi's father, the black shiny car disappeared into the distance, leaving Kirimi with her mouth open.

Kirimi couldn't believe this. Her parents, her mother, the mother who had never bought her normal toys children would get, who would not let her have a PSP or a Nintendo DS, who never let her play in the park with other children, who despised basketball and what it had brought Kirimi, who never let Kirimi have her say in things, had actually given Kirimi permission to play basketball. It felt surreal. It felt so surreal hearing her own mother say those words that Kirimi was feeling a mixture of happiness, excitement but at the same time, deep fear. What if this was a dream? What if after this her mother suddenly changed her mind and decided to lock her in her room? There were endless possibilities.

She took a deep breath. Now she was going crazy. It's not like her mother was going to whip her when she got home or something. She had heard her mother's words loud and clear. At least, for now, she should enjoy the freedom she has been given. When she goes home, she'll confirm with her mother on what she said. Wait, would that make her angry? Kirimi didn't know what to do.

Could she really play basketball? Scratch that, observe people playing basketball? Go to watch matches, make friends with people who played basketball like this boy here?

Suddenly, a flash of realization crossed her mind. The boy, Kuroko…Tetsuya. Tetsuya-kun. She had ignored him this whole time, lost in her thoughts. She turned to him. He stood there, looking at her, the same deadpan face but with those baby blue mysterious eyes.

Kirimi hastened to bow as low as she could go, in a thankful gesture; a very thankful gesture. She was bowing so low she felt that she would topple over but she didn't care. Because here was a person, a stranger had gone out of his way, for reasons unknown to her and had actually made a difference in her life. She had nearly hated basketball. She had nearly lost her will. But he came, spoke up for her, gave her courage, because apparently according to him, he loved basketball. But to go out of your way to help someone like that, she really didn't think such a kind person existed in this world.

"Thank you so much," she said with as much gratefulness in her voice as she could muster. "I…You…thank you so much for…for what you did today for me,"

Kirimi felt embarrassed at how lame her words were. But she was so overwhelmed with fear, excitement, happiness, relief, longing and who knows what else that that was also she could say.

She looked at the boy hesitantly.

He was staring at her. She looked like a baby bird who had been freed from her cage. Her shoulders weren't stiff, she had an air of relief around her and she seemed as if a huge boulder had been lifted from her shoulders.

It hadn't been his intention to put himself in front of her parents for her like that, but it had happened and in a normal case he would have been ashamed of himself for being so nosy but he felt proud. He had helped a young girl before it was too late.

"It was no problem. I told you, I love basketball so I felt the need to help you," he said.

Kirimi couldn't leave it at that.

"But still," she went on. "You…you have no idea how you helped me. I…I don't know how to thank you properly. Is there anything I can do for you?"

She really wanted to do something in return for this person because whatever she did for him would never amount to what he did for her.

For the first time since he met her, he gave her a small smile. Then, he turned and started walking away from her.

"If you say you love basketball and will visit matches from now on and make friends with kids your age who love basketball, that's more than enough…" he replied, while walking away.

Kirimi stared after his retreating figure. Make friends with kids her age? Kids her age who loved basketball like her? That's right. He was right. That's what she should do. But…but…

Kirimi put her hand over her chest. It was still beating a bit fast after all that had happened today. Friends? A friend? The thought made her a bit scared. She was scared that new friends would disappear like Shizuo had.

But still…this person. She liked him. She liked his kind nature and of course, she loved his basketball. She wanted to play basketball with this person. Right now, that was what she wanted. Kirimi opened her mouth and spoke loudly.

"Can…can that 'new friend' who loves basketball be you, Tetsuya-kun?"

Kuroko stopped in his footsteps and turned around the look at the girl.

"Eh?" he asked.

Kirimi knew she was being a bit arrogant. But the words had come out of her mouth before she could stop them. He probably had more important things to do than babysit a young girl like her. He was part of the Teiko basketball team; he had his teammates to play with. He didn't have time for her.

Kirimi gulped down her nervousness but kept her ground.

"Ah…I, from the beginning, Tetsuya-kun, I loved your basketball, the basketball that you play. It was only a coincidence that I came across that match you had that day when we met for the first time but, when I saw you, I was entranced. I couldn't take my eyes off of you for the whole match. I…I thought…"

She paused for a few seconds.

"I was thinking of how wonderful it would be to play basketball with you. Ah, I can't really play for more than fifteen minutes due to my hand injury so it's pretty much useless, but, I was thinking that it would be nice to just watch you play your basketball,"

Kuroko stared at her, looking into her emerald green eyes.

Her eyes. It had been a long time since he had seen such sincere eyes about basketball. He had known from the start that she loved basketball. After all the matches in Teiko, the fallout with Aomine-kun, his light, after seeing each member of the Generation of Miracles go down the wrong path in basketball, it actually made his heart feel light with happiness, to see someone with passion for the sport asking him if he could play with them.

Kirimi flushed a bit.

"I'm sorry. I know it's very presumptuous of me to say things like this when you have your own teammates and besides, you wouldn't play with a kid like me-"

"Why not? I think that's a nice idea," said Kuroko.

Kirimi blinked.

Huh?

Kuroko looked at the basketball hoop. How long had it been since Aomine, Kise, Midorima, Murasakibara and Akashi like that? How long had it been since they lost their pure love for basketball? So much had happened since then that Kuroko had forgotten. They would skip practicing, Aomine wouldn't play with his in basketball parks anymore and he had gotten lonely. Of course, he planned to change that in his own way when he entered high school, but still…

This girl who had seen only seen him play in one small practice match, how even he had started losing the will to play when he saw his teammates playing in such a way, with no team work, how no one else had ever commented on him playing(not that he minded), but this girl had noticed him. She had noticed him and just now she said…she like that she liked the basketball that he played. This girl, Kirimi, may feel that she had been the one who had been saved by him, didn't know that he also had to be thankful to her for saying such simple but such powerful words with eyes which looked like they were glimmering.

"Actually, it's a bit boring playing basketball by myself nowadays. In the evenings, like right now, I think another person's company would actually be nice," said Kuroko, not telling her all of his thoughts.

Ah…

Kirimi's eyes beamed with brightness it hadn't had for a long time.

"R-Really? Is that really ok, Tetsuya-kun? You really don't mind hanging around with you when you play?" asked Kirimi, in disbelief.

"Of course. But, Kirimi-san, is that what you really want? You would have more fun with kids your age and-"

"I don't mind!" said Kirimi fervently. "Right now, your style of basketball has captivated me. It would be an honor to watch you play basketball, Tetsuya-kun,"

It was the first time he had actually been praised like this in a long time. And honor? It was an honor to watch him play? The least he could do for such a sincere person was this.

"Then, it's settled. I come to this park every evening at 4 o'clock. Is that time alright for you?" asked Kuroko.

"Y-Yes!" said Kirimi, unbelievably happy. "Thank you so much!"

Kuroko put his hand on her purple hair again and rubbed it slightly.

"You don't have to thank me for something so small,"

"Besides, I have to thank you instead…" he thought.

"It's not something small at all! It's something I never thought would happen again, it's-"

"-But before that, Kirimi-san, I think we still haven't introduced ourselves properly to each other.

…ah.

Kirimi's mouth stayed open in a comical fashion.

He was right. What with Kirimi fainting, her emotional breakdown to the showdown(?) with her parents and other things, she had never introduced herself properly to the boy.

She immediately bowed apologetically.

"Forgive my rudeness. My name is Ayasaki Kirimi. Nice to meet you, Tetsuya-kun,"

Kuroko bowed in response.

"I'm Kuroko Tetsuya. Same here. It's nice to meet you, Kirimi-san,"

Kirimi giggled. It had been a long time since she had done that.

"It's weird isn't it? We're actually introducing ourselves this late when I actually met you sometime back in that match," said Kirimi.

Kuroko smiled slightly in response.

"It is, isn't it?" said Kuroko. "But Kirimi-san, don't you think you should be going home now?"

"Huh? Why? It's only 8.15. I still have time to watch you play!"

Kuroko shook his head.

"Kirimi-san, you are really drained of energy right now. You look like you're going to collapse again. I think it's best that you go home for today,"

Now that she thought about, Kirimi was beginning to feel light in the head again. She had held up during her conversation with Tetsuya-kun and her parents maybe with sheer will but right now, her head was starting to hurt.

She brushed the dust off her shoulders, tried to put her hair into place and then she looked at Kuroko.

"Then, I'll meet you here tomorrow at 4pm," she said.

Kuroko nodded.

"Right. See you tomorrow, Kirimi-san," he said.

Kirimi felt happy, so very happy.

"Then, good bye for now!" she said.

Kuroko watched her small but steady back as she walked away. He had forgotten to ask her something. How had she noticed him and why did she find his style of play fascinating? Wait, that was two questions. Well, he could always ask her tomorrow.

---

With that, Kirimi walked out of the basketball park and started walking, half jogging to the nearest bus stop. Even though she was tired and her head was hurting, she could still walk and jog like this. Her heart felt empty but at the same time full, as if something that had been missing for a long time was finally back in place there.

After the bus journey, as she headed to the gates of her home, she paused for a moment. She looked at the skies. They were clear now. She could see the stars twinkling down on her. She felt the cool breeze in her neck.

A lot of things had happened today, some for the worse but mostly for the better. She looked at the stars and wondered if Shizuo was staring at them right now as well, thinking of her as she was thinking of him. She wondered what Shizuo would have thought of Tetsuya-kun. She wondered if he was playing basketball right now. Kirimi took a deep breath.

She would find Shizuo one day. She would meet him again, she was sure of that. But for now, she had to concentrate on what was front of her. After meeting Tetsuya-kun, she somehow felt that Shizuo was not angry at her. Instead, she was certain that he was happy that she had not given up on basketball.

She opened the door to her house. As she opened it, she thought, a new page in her life had started today as well. And she was looking forward to seeing what it would be like and what lied in store for her in this new page.

---

And that's that! :D I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

P.S Please review and tell me what you thought of Kirimi and Kuroko's fated meeting!