Here is the next chapter for this story :)
I don't know why but I'm beginning to think that this story is going a bit too slow, and that's beginning to get boring and tedious to read. Albeit I'm just following the plot from the manga at the moment but that doesn't mean I can't make it fun. I really don't know what to do but I guess I'll just have to stick it out until I get to the good stuff (and by good stuff I mean the first Seirin VS Touou match). Did I say too much? Oops :)
Oh, and a little favor to ask all of you who like this story. Mind reading my other KnB story called A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words? I swear it doesn't suck as much. It's basically Kuroko being an artist outside the basketball world and how enemies, rivals, and friends all stumble across his works and how those thousand words from the picture can change their lives. Cliche? I have no clue.
Anyways, that's all that I have for now :)
So, without further ado, here's the new chapter!
The next day, after a horrible lunch session where the freshmen were forced to penetrate their way through the growing body of students for measly sandwiches and ending up relying on Kuroko to do the work, the basketball club was waiting for the coach to come and tell them how the opposing team like.
This time, however, when she entered the gym, she was not skipping and only had a grim look on her face.
"How does it look?" Hyuuga asked and Riko shook her head.
"They look mediocre at best but there is an opponent that we need to take care of. I have a video but at the moment. Just look at the photo I took." She said and gave the phone to Hyuuga. The team gathered around and saw the photo with wide eyes.
"His name is Papa Mbaye Siki. 200 centimeters and an exchange students from Senegal." Riko explained but the team was still in shock.
"He's huge!" One of them exclaimed.
"How is that even possible?" Another asked. Kagami and Kuroko, on the other hand, looked unamused and impassive respectively.
"He's big. So what?" Kagami asked, very bored with the conversation, but the others ignored him.
"So this Papa Mn… What was it again?" Hyuuga asked and Koganei rubbed the back of his neck.
"Something with a Sick? I have no clue." And soon enough, mostly everyone started arguing about the name of the Senegal exchange student. Riko felt a vein pop and turned to Kuroko who was just standing there.
"We're going nowhere with this!" She roared and everyone shut up. "Kuroko-kun, give us a nickname for the guy." Kuroko tilted his head and after a few seconds opened his mouth.
"Dad." Kuroko said simply and the team burst out laughing.
"Listen!" Riko shouted and everyone stopped immediately, not wanting to witness and more of the coach's fury.
"It's just this one player we have to worry about. Like I said, the team is mediocre at best so Kagami-kun and Kuroko-kun, I'm giving you a special regimen. The preliminaries start soon! Until then, I will not hesitate to break you all down and build you back up, do you understand?"
"Sir, yes, sir!" The team shouted with confidence and thus began practice.
The day finally came and Seirin waited for Papa to enter the scene. They first heard him when he accidentally headbutted into the door and grumbled how everything was small in Japan. He then eyed Seirin and had a look of annoyance and boredom on his face.
"This is the team we're facing?" He asked in a broken Japanese. "They're so small. They even have a kid on the bench."
"I am not a kid." Kuroko said and Papa jumped in shock. Seirin looked confused because they were sure that Kuroko was just with them a few seconds ago. Papa then looked very skeptical as he picked up Kuroko with ease. Riko was very close to shouting at him because his hands were a bit too close at the chest area. Then she remembered that Kuroko was, right now, a guy and therefore, did not have to care.
"Kids should not be here. Go back home." He then saw the uniform underneath the jacket and his eyes narrowed.
"A player?" He asked to himself and then laughed out loud.
"This is going to be easy." He said and let Kuroko down. At this point, Riko was fuming with anger and pulled Kuroko back to the bench.
"Honestly, I am very irritated at this point." Kuroko mentioned and the team, who had been snickering in the background, stopped immediately. An irritated Kuroko was not something they had witnessed and they did not want to start now.
"Well, I guess we just have to show Dad that he shouldn't annoy kids." Kagami smirked and ruffled Kuroko's hair.
"You want to be a starter?" Riko asked in surprise and Kuroko nodded solemnly. "But you have a time limit and I really don't like going at full power in the beginning."
"Please." Kuroko simply and Riko sighed.
"You better be ahead by 10 points then." She said before letting Kuroko go.
The match started and the ball went to the opposing team, shocking both Seirin and Kagami. He tried to block Papa from shooting but he lost in that as well. The first points went to the opposing team and Papa smirked, commenting that this would be easy. However, Hyuuga and the others just smiled and waiting for the magic to happen.
Soon enough, Papa's shooting accuracy decreased significantly as the ball just kept getting hit on the rim of the hoop and bouncing off. Papa looked very annoyed while his players stared in shock. What was happening to their ace?
Riko smirked as Papa missed another shot. One of the special regimen she had given Kagami was how to defend against a taller person. The trick was to not let them play as they wanted; to force them out of their comfort zone.
Another ball missed and Papa was now getting furious. Kagami, who had been defending all this time, felt himself get angry as well. Kagami was sure that he wouldn't get any satisfaction if he just defended all the time. He then decided what his goals were and ran with Papa.
"Hey, let me tell you two things, Dad. One, I'll definitely knock one of your shots during the match." He started saying and Papa looked shocked and annoyed at the same time.
"That's impossible. You lack height compared to me. And I won't lose to a team that has a kid as a starter." He hissed, glaring at Kagami. Kagami just smirked. The ball went to the opposing team and he looked like he was ready to pass to Papa.
"Two…" Papa wasn't listening as he got ready to receive the ball from his teammate. His eyes sparkled as the ball came towards him but then his eyes grew wide at the person who was suddenly in front of him to smack the ball away.
"What?" Papa asked in complete surprise and Kagami took the ball away from him with lightning speed. He dunked it and another two points when to Seirin.
"This kid just might give you some trouble." He smirked while Kuroko still looked impassive.
"Will you stop calling me a kid?" Kuroko asked in a stoic voice and the team gulped as even they could hear the fury in his voice.
The opposing team, on the other hand, was still trying to get over the ghost that had just appeared before them. What had just happened?
They tried to start the game again by scoring another point but was once again intercepted by Kuroko and Kagami made another dunk. The audience cheered and wondered just how the high schooler could make two dunks in a row.
In the end, Seirin won with an overwhelming score and the sight was not something to miss, especially with Kagami jumping higher and higher until he could smack the ball out of Papa's hands and Kuroko always surprising the opposing team. Seirin cheered as Papa had to be dragged away from the scene.
"If we keep winning, we'll be able to compete with Shuutoku!" Riko yelled and their spirits never wavered, even though they knew that another Generation of Miracles member attended that school.
Next stop: Midorima Shintarou.
As the Inter-High preliminaries kept moving forward, so did Seirin. Most were all overwhelming victories and the team did not have to use their trump card, Kuroko, for the various matches. It was up to point where Kuroko was fidgeting quietly while listening intently to the sounds of feet pounding and the ball swishing everywhere.
And finally, Seirin met one of the kings of Tokyo, Shuutoku High. One of freshmen pointed it out and immediately Kagami set out to find the next Generation of Miracle. He stopped for a moment when he saw the bear plushie that was wearing a karate uniform but nonetheless walked towards him.
"Sup? You're Midorima Shintarou, right?" Kagami asked and Midorima looked skeptical.
"Yes. And you are?" He asked and a raven-haired student snickered.
"Don't you already know, Shin-chan? We went to Kaijo's practice match, remember?" The raven-haired person said and Midorima looked ready to kill the person.
"Takao, I will deal with you later." Midorima said stiffly before turning back to Kagami. "Handshake?" He asked and Kagami complied. However, Kagami ended up writing on Midorima's hand with a marker he magically had in his pocket.
"What?" Midorima exclaimed and read the words 'Seirin #10 Kagami Taiga'.
"You look like the guy who won't remember important names. I have to make you remember the guy who's going to take revenge for our seniors." Kagami explained and smirked.
"You're just saying reckless things now." Midorima said while adjusting his glasses. "No matter the effort you put into the game, you will end up repeating history. That is all." He concluded and Takao pushed him in a friendly way but made Midorima drop his plushie. Before he knew it, someone had picked it up and held it out for him.
"The past is in the past, Midorima-kun. The only thing you can do with the future is predict and even then, we cannot be certain about the outcomes." Kuroko said and Midorima cautiously took his lucky item away from the phantom player. He then sighed.
"It seems I just cannot get along with you when it comes to basketball, Kuroko. There is much we have to discuss, you know that, right?" He asked and he saw the subtle nod, as if Kuroko knew what Midorima was actually talking about. "Then, come to the finals first." He finished before dragging Takao away from the duo.
They went back to their teams and Hyuuga immediately started bashing on Kagami, talking about how much of an idiot he was. Riko, on the other hand, went to Kuroko and looked at the cross-dressing girl with worried eyes.
"Are you ok?" She asked and Kuroko nodded.
"I am fine."
"Are you sure? You seem…" She trailed off when she realized that Kuroko did not want to talk about her former teammate. She sighed and told her it was time for the match to start between an unknown team and Shuutoku. Kuroko nodded before leaving.
Seirin went upstairs to see the match from above. Riko and Hyuuga both had analyzing eyes and realized with horror that Shuutoku was definitely stronger than last year, especially with Midorima around.
"The arch when Midorima shoots is impossibly high." Hyuuga commented as Midorima shot another three-pointer with ease.
"Isn't it extremely difficult to control your precision and accuracy with those kinds of arches?" Koganei asked and Hyuuga, the three-pointer specialist, nodded. It was incredibly difficult.
"That is Midorima-kun's basketball style. As long as his posture is good, he will never miss a shot." Kuroko commented and the team blanched at those words. Was it possible for a basketball player to never miss?
"He's deemed the number one shooter of the Generation of Miracles. It's obvious that he deserves that kind of title." A freshman said and the others nodded in agreement.
"He's a lot more dangerous if you think about it." Riko started to say as the opposing teams' faces all fell when Midorima shot another three-pointer. "The time until it goes in is unnaturally long. It not only leaves a physical impact with the score but it also leaves the opposing team with a deep psychological impact." The others gulped in fear and Hyuuga felt an unsettling feeling in his stomach.
Could it be that Midorima may have been hiding something even crazier?
The day ended with another match on the same day. At that point, everyone was tired out of their minds and if it weren't for the captain's motivational speech, they would have lost. It was close but Kagami dunked at the last second, leading them with 2 points when the buzzer rang. Seirin was qualified for the semifinals and though they were tired, they all cheered in happiness.
The team went their separate ways to rest their bodies, since being in the semifinals meant playing against two of the Tokyo Kings on the same day. Kagami and Kuroko walked on the pavement since their houses were in the same direction. There was a nice silence enveloping them but Kagami couldn't help but wonder about Kuroko. He knew there was something wrong with him, and his twin sister for the matter of fact. They were just too similar. He knew some twins when he had been in the States, even met identical triplets once, but they were all different in their own way. Kuroko and his sister were the complete same, whether it was their similar physical appearance or their personality.
There was also the fact that Kagami had never seen Kuroko look at him in the eye, not even once. They were partners now but he felt as if they were lacking something. He knew that people had secrets – even he had some as well – but Kagami felt like Kuroko was hiding something big from him.
"Kagami-kun, you are restless. Is something the matter?" Kuroko's voice penetrated his thoughts and Kagami looked at the smaller boy. Just as expected, Kuroko was only looking forward. There was no trace whatsoever of his looking at Kagami at all. Kagami decided to be blunt.
"Kuroko, what are you hiding from me?" He asked and Kuroko stiffened slightly.
"Kagami-kun, what are you talking about?"
"You're hiding something from me, from all of us. What's up?" Kuroko was silent for a second before finally speaking.
"Kagami-kun, I do not know if they do this in the States, but asking personal questions as bluntly as you have done is very rude." Kagami flushed in embarrassment. He had forgotten that Kuroko was a very respectful person, which was somewhat ironic since Kuroko was a very blunt person himself.
"Sorry, Kuroko. I just –"
"I apologize as well, Kagami-kun. I have said it too harshly." Kuroko cut off and after an awkward silence, Kuroko spoke again. "It is true that I am hiding something from Kagami-kun. I am sorry but I do not think I can tell you yet. Please understand." He said before they stopped in front of Maji's. He then bowed and started walking towards his home.
"Goodbye, Kagami-kun." And left. Kagami stared at the phantom player but lost sight of him almost immediately. He growled as he sauntered off to his own home.
The next time Seirin entered the gym for their match, they found out with horror that they would be dealing with Seiho and Shuutoku, both Kings of Tokyo. If they won against Seiho, they would match up against Midorima Shintarou, a Generation of Miracle.
They entered and immediately laid their eyes on their first opponent, Seiho, and the freshmen realized that most of the players looked average.
"Not a lot of tall people, huh?" One asked and the others nodded.
"Don't be fooled. You saw the DVDs." Hyuuga commented and the freshmen nodded, remembering the weird feeling they had when they saw the pacing of the team.
They peered away and started to go to their bench when a voice called out to them.
"So, you're Kagami? Number 10?" A bald headed student asked with a cheerful smile. Kagami raised his eyebrows and nodded.
"Your red hair is scary as hell!" He commented and Kagami's blood started to boil unintentionally. "Captain? This is the guy, right?" He asked over his shoulder and many could see the captain facepalming at his kohai.
"You know, when I heard that we would be going against Seirin, I thought you guys would all be weak, but I guess you can say you have one strong one!" The bald headed person added with that annoying smile of his and at this point, Riko was close to ripping the smile, and possibly his head, from him. It took all the freshmen, Mitobe, and Koganei to restrain her. He then started walking toward their direction even further but bumped into Kuroko.
He blinked once and twice before finally registering that there was a person in front of him. He yelped in surprise and then scanned the person in front of him. He then smirked.
"Hey, little kid, you shouldn't be on the court." He teased and Kuroko said nothing. Kagami was close to blowing his top off and Riko looked absolutely furious.
"I am not a little kid." Kuroko simply said, slight déjà vu entering.
"Wait, are you saying you're on the team?" He asked incredulously and Kuroko nodded. "You can't be a starter, can you?" He asked and Kuroko nodded once more. The player smiled widely and started to taunt how Seirin would be a piece of cake. At that moment, one of the bigger players entered the scene, completely annoyed.
"Stop picking up fights with the opponent!" The captain yelled and dragged the student away.
"Tsugawa Tomoki. A truly despicable person." Hyuuga commented as he glared at the first year who was currently getting scolded by his captain. Then, the two walked up to them and the captain forced Tsugawa to bow.
"Apologize!" He bellowed and Tsugawa muttered that he was sorry. The captain sighed in annoyance as he ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry about that. This guy just can't read between the lines." The captain added while Tsugawa started protesting. He was shut up immediately by his glare. Hyuuga sighed before giving the captain a tired smile.
"There's no need to apologize. Besides, we're going to win, anyways. Don't you dare look down on us like last time." He declared.
"That won't happen." The captain responded. "And we weren't looking down on you. You were just weak. That was all." He finished simply before dragging a still smirking Tsugawa away. The respective teams all departed to their locker rooms and Seirin got ready for the match.
After Riko failed attempt to act cute and sexy, Hyuuga reminded the freshmen that this was an important match for them as they needed to redeem themselves from their crushing defeat last year.
"It was at the point when we started to hate basketball." Hyuuga said and both Kagami and Kuroko looked at their captain with shock. The other seniors, on the other hand, started to look sullen, as if the memory was too painful for them. Hyuuga, slightly surprised with the reactions for the team, hastily tried to regain their spirits.
"Don't act so depressed, morons! This is something to be happy about!" He cried out. "Our fighting spirit is bigger than ever now. I have complete faith in everyone that we are strong and capable for this. The only thing left to do is win!" He shouted and everyone cheered with him. The team started to leave the locker room when Kagami stopped at the voice that was calling him.
"Kagami-kun." Kuroko said and Kagami turned around to face the mysterious phantom sixth man.
"What's wrong?" He asked cautiously, not wanting to anger Kuroko again.
"Was there a time when you hated basketball?" Kuroko asked after a moment of silence and Kagami tilted his head at the question.
"No, never. Why?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I have." Kuroko said and Kuroko drooped his head lower than usual, making Kagami feel like he had kicked a puppy when he had no relation to it whatsoever. "I believe that our reasons are different, but when you come to hate something that you love so much, it hurts immensely. It is as if your heart is being ripped out right in front of you. It is incredibly painful." Kuroko explained and Kagami cringed at the description. Could it really be that painful? The thought of his hating basketball was practically impossible but deep down, he knew that it was true. Having something you love getting ripped out of you was something he would love to avoid.
"I think this match is very important to our seniors, Kagami-kun. That is why I want to proclaim something and hope that you stand with me." Kuroko said and Kagami smiled at his next words.
At the benches, Riko nervously put her thumb to her lips and starting biting the nail. This was the day; they would have to battle against two Tokyo Kings on the same day. The ball was launched up and the match began.
How was it? Good, bad, meh?
I still think this is getting really boring and I am trying my best to kind of summarize some parts of it because it is a bit too long. At least with manga you have flashy pictures, but these are all words, and you guys all know the story by now.
Still, I really hope you guys can stick it out with me till the end (or at least until I start to put in my bit) :)
Moving on to other news, I am completely stumped on what to upload for next week. I have a ideas pouring out of my phone as we speak but I have no idea what idea to start first. And there is also the fact that I have five unfinished stories that I kind of want to finish first before moving on to other non one-shot stories. I like getting things done and if I put one of my ideas that are not one-shots, I know the stories will just pile up.
But then again, I don't think I have choice because there are no one-shots coming to mind yet (except for this one story) and the other stories are all novelly (pretty sure that's not a word but whatever). There is also the fact that I've been itching to write this one for a some time now. I'll let you guys choose.
Should I pick the one-shot or the novelly one? Here are my ideas for each of them and please help by picking one:
One-shot: The reaction of Yosen and Murasakibara when Himuro enters the lockeroom with obvious bruises and scratches on his face. Murasakibara is not amused, not at all. And judging by the bruises, he knows exactly who did it. A lot (or hinted) MuraHimu.
Novelly one: After Teiko's third consecutive win, Kuroko resigns from the basketball club and is like he has vanished. Akashi is furious because even he doesn't know why he suddenly left and where. Through Momoi, the Generation of Miracles find out that Kuroko has gone to LA, and just as possessive people like to be, they decided to get him back. What they see when they get there may leave them shocked.
I'm currently leaning towards the novelly one but like I said, I don't want to start a longer piece without finish the others first. And let me tell you, I don't think I can finish the five stories as quickly.
Don't forget to check out my other stories on KnB :)
Anyways, thanks for the help (oh, and Teiko arc anyone? FEELS)
Peace,
FlyAndDontLookBack