Their Brilliant, Blinding Futures

Every single attendant that worked in the restaurant where the Generation of Miracles decided to have their reunion lunch heaved collective sighs of relief when all seven of them—plus two plus one unforgivably loud baby—shuffled their chairs backwards and walked out the restaurant in one big happy bunch. Admittedly, the sighs from a couple of females were more of disappointment as they wept and watched the pretty blonde strolled out so casually, waving to anyone and everyone, knowing that they will never ever get another chance to see such perfect beauty in real life.

Hyuuga pushed the door open and breathed in the sweet, sweet air of the outside world. It felt good to have the cold city air slam into his face—at least he knew that there were normal, ordinary, sane people like him; ordinary, sane people who do not get themselves caught up in heated arguments every ten minutes with the same bunch of people.

Boring, ordinary, sane, that was exactly what Hyuuga needed.

"Riko, let's go," he turned to his left, expecting to see his wife standing right next to him but was shocked to see her walking away with Momoi's arm linked through hers and their heads pressed together like two high-school girls. Riko was giggling.

He reached out a hand, the other held firmly around his son that was fast asleep—thankfully—, head against Hyuuga's shoulder. "Riko!" But she didn't even look at him and now they were walking further and further away so Hyuuga had no choice but to run after them. He patted his wife on the shoulder, she turned around, Momoi turned around but they didn't stop walking.

"Aren't we leaving?"

"Oh, Momoi and the others are thinking of getting popsicles; apparently Kise's buying," Riko said, "we still have some time left before we're needed to go home, don't we?"

Hyuuga gritted his teeth and hardened his gaze, hoping that Riko would be able to read his thoughts. BUT THEY ARE THE GENERATION OF MIRACLES AND THEY ARE CRAZY AND GOD WHY ARE YOU BEING ALL BUDDY-BUDDY WITH THEM AND AKASHI IS SCARY AND AOMINE IS TOO AND KISE—WHY ARE YOU LETTING KISE BUY YOU ICE CREAM AND OH FOR GOD'S SAKE RIKO CAN WE PLEASE JUST LEAVE THE CRAZIES TO THEMSELVES?

Riko narrowed her eyes into slits. "Jun, why are you looking at me weirdly?"

"I-I-" Hyuuga began to falter for words but in the end just ran a hand through his hair and let out a defeated sigh. The konbini was already in sight. "Forget it." And he found himself walking through the entrance of the konbini behind everyone else.

But of course, the Generation of Miracles couldn't have just called it a day there. They wouldn't just finish their popsicle and went their separate ways, back to their separate lives. Of course not. Especially when not far away from the konbini was an empty basketball court and there was one lonely basketball in the middle. Aomine stared at it like a hungry dog; Kise's face broke into a grin; Midorima couldn't peel his eyes away; Murasakibara cocked an eyebrow and swallowed his popsicle in one gulp before pulling the packet of another apart; Kuroko was…Kuroko, but there was an unmistakable spark in his eyes that weren't there before. Akashi took note of all the reactions his former teammates displayed and smirked.

Before Hyuuga realised what was happening, the entire bunch was shuffling towards the court. Aomine picked up the ball and sent it straight through the hoop in one fluid motion. Hyuuga's jaw dropped. It's been fifteen years so he had almost forgotten what a monster Aomine can become when he's with a basketball.

Almost.

Kise clapped and cheered. "Aominecchi, when was the last time you played basketball?"

"Ha?" He stuck a little finger into his ear. "Last week? We have matches every once in a while."

"Ah, it must be good working as a cop huh? You get to play basketball." Kise sulked. "I barely have anytime to work out. Sakura said that I'm getting chubbier."

"No worries, Kise-kun's still the best-looking pilot I've ever seen." Momoi pulled the blonde down so that she could ruffle his hair.

Kise laughed. "Really?"

"Atsushi, Shintarou, the weather's perfect for a match, don't you think?" Akashi had already shrugged off his suit and was carefully rolling up his shirt sleeves. He handed it to Momoi and she took it without a word.

"Three-on-three?" Murasakibara cast Midorima a lingering, knowing look.

Midorima pushed his glasses back up his nose and nodded. "Very well."

Momoi waved at the rest, calling for their attention. "Dai-chan, Kise-kun, Tetsu-kun, Akashi-kun asks if you guys would like to have a match!"

Kise began to cry out his protests. "A match? Really? But I haven't played in so long; my skills are probably incredibly rusty."

"Then don't play, idiot and stop shouting. My ears hurt." Aomine snapped and turned to Kuroko. "What do you say, Tetsu? Just like old times?" He tossed the ball over to him and Kuroko caught it effortlessly.

"No fair! Kurokocchi is mine!" Kise reached out to grab Kuroko by the shoulders and held him against his chest. Aomine rolled his eyes and gripped Kuroko's arm before giving it a tug and Kuroko was easily released from Kise's grasp.

"Tetsu works best with me, fool."

"No fair! Kurokocchi likes me the best."

"No I don't," Kuroko replied but the other two voices were twice as loud as his and easily drowned him out.

"Shut up, Kise. You're annoying."

"Um, please don't fight over me," said Kuroko. "Also, Midorima's more annoying than Kise-kun and we're playing three-on-three. So Kise-kun, Aomine-kun and I are on the same team; that is unless Hyuuga-senpai wants to join us."

Hyuuga growled. "Leave me out of this, Kuroko."

Kuroko turned back to his teammates. "So that's settled."

Kise's face broke into a blinding grin and he threw his arms around Aomine and Kuroko's shoulders. "Yay! We're on the same team."

"Tch. Let go of me, Kise," said Aomine but even he couldn't help but crack a smile. Kuroko held out a fist and both Aomine and Kise reached out to brush their knuckles against his.

Akashi walked over to Hyuuga and the latter had to stop himself from looking too scared—it was no easy feat—while bending his knees a little, so that he didn't tower over Akashi Seijuro too much. God knows what might happen if the shorter man's height complex was triggered. "Hyuuga Junpei, would you mind judging the match?"

"Ah, we could really use your help, Hyuuga-senpai," said Kuroko.

You never say no to Akashi out of fear and intimidation but for Kuroko, it's out of sheer respect and admiration and no one will want to disappoint him really. Plus those innocent blue eyes were pretty damn hard to say no to and when Kuroko's faced with rejection, you'll be guilt-tripped to the day you die. Hyuuga knew all this better than anyone.

So with a sigh, Hyuuga passed the baby in his arm to Riko and rolled up his sleeves. Kuroko handed him the ball then took his position with his other teammates as they stood facing the rival team.

"We will win this, Tetsu." Aomine smirked. "Because the only person who can beat me is me."

Akashi looked amused by his statement. "Daiki, I always win."

Hearing the exchange, Hyuuga snorted and rolled his eyes. "Oh come on. Don't you guys ever get tired of saying that?" And he was met with two pair of angry eyes. He gulped. "Never mind."

Hyuuga readied himself for the tip-off as he held out the ball between the two teams. "Ready?" They nodded and he took in a deep breath. "Let the games begin!" Hyuuga flung it into the air and took a step back and Murasakibara and Aomine made a grab for it.

"Ah, do you miss this?"

"Eh?" Riko was too busy staring at a very focused—and admittedly, very sexy—Hyuuga Junpei to register Momoi's words. She peeled her gaze away from her husband. "What?"

Momoi jutted her chin towards the six men who were not quite acting their age as everyone fought to take control of the ball. It was a funny sight. All of them were in their early-thirties. Akashi was wearing handmade leather brogues that came all the way from Italy—Momoi's not sure how she knew this. Aomine was in his shirt and suit trousers, his tie dangling loosely around his neck. Kise was well-dressed enough for a high-end cocktail party. Murasakibara's vest looked like it was about to pop some buttons when the giant pulled his arms back for a shot at the hoop. They were in their early-thirties, yet they were acting like how they did fifteen years ago, when basketball was what governed their life and it was what they all thought they were living for.

But now two of them were already married, with Akashi expecting his second child in a few months; Aomine and Momoi would be tying the knot in winter; Midorima was now a doctor—and a very good one at that, albeit a little eccentric at times; Murasakibara was the owner of a chain of pastry shops; Kuroko had cute little kindergarteners looking up to him and calling him sensei.

They were getting old, Momoi realised.

"Do you miss this?" Momoi repeated her question.

The brunette shrugged after a moment of thought. "Well since I'm a high school basketball coach so I see all the time, but I think I understand what you mean and yeah, I do miss this sometimes. It's hard not to." Riko had her gazed fixed on Kuroko—or at least whenever she noticed him. She had to admit, Kuroko and Aomine really made the best team. Better than Kagami and Kuroko ever were. Sure the Seirin duo was amazing but it really was lacklustre when compared to the Teiko counterpart.

Momoi pulled Akashi's coat closer to her chest and fingered the hem of her skirt mindlessly. "Would you want to go back then?"

When she heard the question, Riko hesitated then laughed. "Never. Never ever, I'm happy that everything happened and those were really some great times, and on occasions I miss it. But to tell you the truth, I wouldn't want to go back; not when there's so much more to look forward to." She pressed a kiss onto her baby's forehead and gazed at Hyuuga's back fondly.

Perhaps she was right, Momoi thought. There's no point in dwelling in the past, not when the future held so much more. Not to mention that in a few months' time, she would be marrying her Dai-chan, her perfectly stupid, stupidly perfect Dai-chan. The thought made her heart race, her cheeks flushed. And if everything goes well, in a year's time she might be in Riko's shoes, cradling her own bundle of joy in her own arms. She looked at Aomine. Their bundle of joy.

The future was never brighter, never more promising.

But there were indeed those days when Momoi was feeling more contemplative than usual and nostalgia decided to pay her a little visit. She would go back to those perfectly happy days in Teikou when winning was still an uncertainty and each victory brought forth immeasurable happiness, when every practice or match meant a visit to the konbini afterwards for ice cream.

Momoi smiled wistfully. It's not to say she wasn't happy now, but sometimes, just sometimes, Momoi missed those days, those happy days.

Her eyes opened and Kise was punching his fists into the air, having just scored his first three-pointer since the start of the game. Aomine smirked and smacked his back playfully. Even a faint smile ghosted past Akashi's face. Momoi recognised that look. She could tell that the former captain missed those days as well.

"It's nice isn't it, Aka-chin? Having the team back together, playing like this," Murasakibara had his hands on his hips as long breaths were dragged into his lungs.

Akashi looked at Murasakibara, but as always, his expression was hard to read. Eventually, he nodded and his lips twisted into a smile. "It is, Atsushi."

It certainly is.