Disclaimer*

A.N.: This is the next chapter. It's the Slytherin/Gryffindor game! Who will win? And why is it that every Quidditch season in Hogwarts starts with the two main rival teams playing against each other. It's weird that the teachers promote this hostility knowing how dangerous it can become. Didn't they learn anything from Harry and Draco?

This is the Gryffindor line up for the game:

Keeper – Kiyoshi Teppei

Chasers – Hyuuga Junpei, Kagami Taiga and Kuroko Tetsuya

Beaters – Mitobe Rinnosuke and Koganei Shinji

Seeker – Izuki Shun

Takao will play on the next game I promise! The Slytherin line up will be in the end to avoid spoilers. But I'm sure you know who will be playing ;)

(Sorry for being really bad to come up with puns for Izuki, but I guess that he is pretty bad at them too…)

Thank you KuroichiRukibara for reviewing and I'm happy that you thought it was an interesting plot... Sorry to take so long to respond and I hope you are reading this still and enjoying it. And Happy Halloween!

(For those of you reading this one first: Don't! It was a double update! Check the previous chapter!)

xxx

Kuroko Tetsuya woke up with a mix of anxiety and enthusiasm. Today was a very important day. Their first game was just in a couple of hours! They had been practicing for the last two months without rest for this!

But despite the obvious excitement that his mind was going through, his body hadn't exactly caught up yet. So he still climbed groggily out of bed and nearly crashed against the only other person who was awake at such an ungodly hour, on his way to the bathroom. Kagami-kun was already there brushing his teeth, his eyes red and puffy as thou he hadn't got any sleep - but strangely happy looking - surrounded by and excited aura.

"Morning Kagami-kun." He greeted softly as he took his place next to the red head.

The result was the expected. Kagami cried out in shock, surprise and fear and fell on his bottom cursing him and his invisibility as usual then quieted because this was just normal.

"That's some ridiculous bed hair you've got! Trying to scare the Slytherin into giving up?" Recovered from his earlier fright, the red head quickly finished getting ready but stayed behind as he waited for Tetsuya.

"I don't know what you mean Kagami-kun. May I inquired why is it that you seem to have forfeited sleep today?"

"Always with the smartass language…!" The red haired boy groaned unhappily as he watched him finished combing his impressive bed hair down. "I was just too excited for today! I had a hard time falling asleep!"

"What are you? A child?!" Captain Hyuuga decided to show up on that moment wearing duckling pajamas looking sour but like Kagami, he had an aura of excitement.

"Huh… Yes?" The other mumbled, looking embarrassed. His eyes kept zoom'ing on the sempai's strange attire.

"Oh. Right… Well next time ask the matron for a sleeping potion or something! We need you wide awake for this game!" The dark haired student shushed them out as he headed for the showers.

"As if I could fail now!" The red head roared while a wide smile as they returned to the dormitories.

Kagami had been extremely happy since he had received his game license only two days after Halloween. And even Coach's equally excited but hellish training sessions couldn't dampen his mood. Or any of the other team members' for that matter. Everyone seemed to be looking forward to the battle that would take place later on.

"You going already…?" A heavy voice asked them from the confines of his warm bed covers.

"You should get up too Takao-kun. Coach wants the whole team gathered before the game." Tetsuya reminded his roommate before crawling under his bed to look for the rest of his equipment.

"Eeeehhhh… But I'm not even going to play…!" The raven haired boy sounded positively miserable as the rest of the room begun to wake up and in the end they had to leave him there, risking the wrath of their coach.

x

This was it! This was it! The game! He could almost feel the wind in his face and the Quaffle in his hands! But before they had to get through Coach's inspirational speech or something… She had gathered them in the common room before breakfast to avoid "the spying eyes"…

"… and we must be careful for their new line up this year! I heard they have a bunch of good new players and I got absolutely no Intel on them!" The petit brunet was screaming in frustration as she tried to fill them with last minute tips and strategies.

Taiga could barely hold himself, and he certainly wasn't paying too much attention to what was being said, with the game almost there and his stomach complaining about the lack of food. Thankfully, after two or three particularly loud groans, Teppei managed to convince Riko to let them go down for breakfast.

"Ne… Aren't we forgetting someone?" Koganei asked no one in particular.

"I'm right here, senpai." Kuroko pointed out from his left side and making most of them leap away in surprise.

"Yeah, Kuroko's here. No need to worry." Hyuuga yelled from the front of their line.

"Hum… I'm not sure it was Kuroko I was thinking about…"

But no one paid him too much attention. And it wasn't until they arrived at the Grand Hall and Kagami noticed Midorima seating on his table - standing out from his peers, courtesy of the outrageous hat he was wearing - that he remembered they had left Takao alone in the tower.

"Ne… Kuroko…" He bent to the side to whisper to the other. "We left Takao behind!"

"I know. That's why I distracted the sempais earlier." Was his hushed answer.

"Come on guys! Eat your fill!" Coach suddenly passed them and filled their plates to the brim before doing the same to the rest of the team.

"Oh yeah! Let's eat!" He definitely approved this of kind of incentive.

"But we are not playing…" He heard Furihata whine somewhere down the table. A quick scout proved that Coach had decided to treat her team with excited equality.

He was just happy to eat with his friends before they headed out. Some people were complaining about the amount of food, which he couldn't really understand. Because Hogwarts food was the best and it was impossible not to like it but he let Kuroko dump most of his food onto his plate and watched the older students playfully argue, all full of good mood.

"Kagami! Look out!" Someone yelled but it was too late. The sharp and heavy pain on the top of his head told him two things. One: Alex's ratty owl had brought him mail. The evil thing just loved to drop heavy packages on top of him. And two: the size and shape of it indicated that she had maintained her promise.

"Is that a broom, Kagami?"

The brown protection paper went flying rather quickly and chorus of awe begun around him.

"It's a Fire Hurricane!"

"A very good racing broom!"

"Let me see Kagami!"

"Bakagami! If you wanted to register a personal broom for today you need to give us more time! Damn, now I need to find Madam Hooch real quick!" And Coach stormed off quickly before he could apologize to her properly.

Ignoring his teammates' antics, Taiga rescued the small letter attached to the noble wood before his new broom was stolen away and passed around.

Dear Taiga

Congratulations on making the team! I'm so proud of you! Go and destroy those Slytherins! And have fun! Having fun is the most important part, don't forget it.

Sorry, I couldn't afford a newer model but I hope this one will help you kick some ass today!

With Love

Alex

P.S.: Your father didn't want to talk about it but he said he was happy for you. I think it's an improvement…

Smiling he resumed eating smiling at Kuroko's curious stare. He discreetly nudged the letter so that he could also read. He had after all promised to depend on the guy more. And he looked kind of excited and happy whenever he did this kind of thing. That was nice too.

xxx

After breakfast the team headed out to the stadium, where they separated. Coach wasn't allowed in the boys changing room so she followed the rest of the group to the benchers alongside the rest of the castle.

The boys solemnly walked and dressed in silence, the first sight of nerves showing up. Tetsuya had to remind himself that despite their attitude, today would also be a first for the second years. The only person that still looked 100% enthusiastic was Kagami. The red head was almost vibrating with energy.

"Yosh! Guys, let's give our best!" The Captain suddenly roared with pride making everyone stare at him. "And be thankful that I'm going to be the one to shake that slippery Imayoshi's hand!"

"Ah! That's right!" Izuki chuckled when he took a good look at his captain's upset face. Then he face lighted with that shine that indicated he had just remembered a new pun. "Imayoshi was captain last year so this year, duh… Captain Obvious!"

"Izuki if we didn't need you to finish the game I would hex you!" Hyuuga's eyes promised murder and everyone laughed at his reaction.

"By Merlin, Izuki! That was worse than usual!"

But the despite the horribly chosen pun, the mood was once again lifted and even Tetsuya smiled a bit.

"Ne… let's do a circle!" Teppei suddenly called out.

"Eh… That's embarrassing…"

"Let's do it! Let's do it! Ne, Mitobe?!"

So, with some reluctance and some excited faces, they formed a circle. Their cheer echoed in the empty changing room and by the end of it not only Tetsuya felt pumped - maybe as much as Kagami had previously – but all his teammates looked ready.

"Yosh! It's time! Let's go!"

xxx

Captain ordered them to make a few laps around the field before the start of the game, mostly so that Kagami could try his new broom, but also to take a good look at the new Slytherin lineup. And a good thing too because Tetsuya nearly feel from his broom with shock.

"Kuroko! Aren't those…?"

The blunet flew a bit closer to his captain to avoid yelling. He watched the other team do their warm ups.

"Yes. The Generation of Miracles." He answered heavily. "It looks like Akashi is playing Seeker."

"I'm very worried about that!" Hyuuga said proudly. "Izuki is the best Seeker I've ever seen. He has a… special talent. If it weren't for the rules, he would've made the team last year!" He smiled mysteriously and confident.

Unfortunately, Tetsuya did not share his optimism. Even after practicing with the team and becoming acquainted with what Gryffindor called their secret weapon he did not relax. He knew that Izuki-san had a special vision that allowed him to see the Snitch better than anyone else but… "I'm sorry to say but… Akashi-san may also have some special talent, Captain." He held the other's shocked gaze and continued. "But what I'm worried about are his mind games. I've never seen his talent before but that is because he's intelligent enough not to have to use it."

"Thanks for the heads up! I'll be careful!" Izuki passed them on that moment his stance still cheerful but more focused.

"That's that! And… What about the Keeper? The big guy?" The raven haired student pointed out.

"Murasakibara-kun. I apologize but I can't say anything about him. I've never seen him play before. He's a lazy person and never wanted to play with us before."

"Hum… He's kinda big…! Passing him is going to be thought."

"I know one of the Beaters. He's a first year, Sakurai Ryou. And the other is a third year?"

"Ah, that's Imayoshi!" Hyuuga's face turned very sour as he talked about the other captain. "Beware, he has a nasty personality!" His glare became even worse when the older student seemed to sense them watching him and cheerfully waved at them. "Ignore the son-a-Goblin for now! What about the Chasers?"

As much as watching the captain's bitter face had amused him, the remainder of the Chasers brought new clouds to his mind. "I'm afraid to say that Aomine-kun and Kise-kun are both Kagami-kun's level."

"Don't throw me down so quickly, Kuroko! And yourself even!" He punctuated his point with a strong fist against his poor skull. "And the last one?"

"… that's Himuro-san. Kagami's brother."

x

It was going to be a tough game. He knew by experience just how good Tatsuya was. Aomine was definitely going to be another powerful adversary and word already had gotten to him that Kise was just as good. He was just so excited!

There was nothing better than a strong opponent to make the game interesting!

"Kagami-kun, are you alright? Himuro-san is here…" Kuroko stopped his broom besides him and waited in line with him as the other players slowly joined them ready to start the game. His face looked disturbed for some reason.

"Don't worry, I'll just kick his butt on the game you'll see!" The other's shocked face made him laugh as he offered him his fist once more. His face was definitely going to break with how big his smile felt right now. "It's going to be an intense game, Kuroko! I can't wait!"

Thankfully, whatever seemed to have been upsetting the blunet disappeared and he bumped his fist with a much cheerier attitude. Which wasn't much because… well… Kuroko wasn't the easiest guy to read emotionally or otherwise but still…

"Oi! Bakagami you bastard!" Aomine seemed to have finally reached the center of the field and he advanced for them at full speed. He pointed at him in an accusatory manner looking terribly offended. "What are you doing?! That's my greeting with Tetsu! Get your own!"

"Aomine-kun!" Kuroko looked very displeased with the other's attitude and he felt like laughing at the dark skinned boy's expenses. But he didn't because that might delay them more and he wanted to play more than anything else.

"Ahomine, I don't see your name on it! Listen up! Bumping fists is a bro thing! It's normal!"

"No! No! No! It's our greeting, stupid Bakagami!"

"Aomine-kun, please don't be childish. Here. I'll bump fists with you as well if you want."

But the other just kept looking sour and unhappy until Madam Hooch approached them. "What is this? A fight?"

"No, Madam Hooch…" They both chorused.

"I don't want fights on this field unless there's a Quaffle or a Snitch involved! Make up quickly so we can start the game! Come on!" She clearly wasn't fooled and further more she seemed to be waiting.

Aomine looked a bit at loss of what to do and even Kagami was a bit confused. He wasn't truly mad with the other or anything; it was just the usual banter on his side. But Aomine was upset. Did she want them to shake hands or something?

"Here, Aomine." If they didn't hurry she might even cancel the game altogether! That was a no-no!

The blunet looked surprised and confused as he offered him his fist instead of his hand. For some reason he couldn't understand, fist bumping was important to this guy. Back on America, it was standard bro etiquette. It was cool but not so flashy that could be considered lame. It had attitude. But it was important to Aomine which meant he too should treat it as something important.

He must have seen that resolution in his eyes because he returned the gesture, albeit a bit uneasily. Then Aomine backed away without another word even though he kept studying his face from afar as if he couldn't entirely understand him either. Weird.

He turned back to the fair haired witch that was still standing there and shrugged his shoulders, trying to convey that he felt as confused as she looked. After Halloween they had maintained some sort of bond and he didn't want to let her down. She merely sighed and blew her whistle to gather everyone's attention.

"Ok! I want a clean game, understood!? Captains, greet each other in the middle."

Taiga watched as Captain Hyuuga walked the distance that separated him from Slytherin' captain looking tenser then he ever seen him. Compared to the other's jovial and carefree expression, Hyuuga looked like he wanted to tear the smile from his face in a very brutal manner. And he looked like shaking hands with that person was physically painful.

"On your brooms! Ready…" And then she blew her whistle.

x

It was utter chaos!

He watched the ball pass hands so many times in the first minute that was impossible to tell which team had it. Tetsuya felt bad for being incapable of participating on the roughhousing part of the game, especially with just Captain and Kagami against Aomine, Kise and Himuro, but his specialty lied somewhere else.

Suddenly he felt it before he saw it. Aomine had just passed him and was heading for their goal zone. It seemed like their numbers had finally given them the advantage.

Quickly he gave pursue and located his team members. Kagami was nearly catching up with the Slytherin Chaser but kept a little lower as they practiced before. Swiftly he approached and before the other could understand what was happening he had slapped the ball directly to Kagami's hands. The red head didn't waste time and immediately headed the other way; only to dodge a dangerously close call with a Bludger and nearly colliding with Hyuuga that was busy dodging the other one.

"Ups…! Sorry about that, Hyuuga!" Imayoshi laughed and on the other side Sakurai was deep in apologies.

The strategy not only got their captain fuming but totally destroyed their momentum allowing Kise to steal the Quaffle and quickly dive to score. It was a good throw but Kiyoshi managed to catch it. "Ahah! That was close!" He laughed.

"Stop playing around, Teppei! Throw the Quaffle!" Hyuuga yelled at him.

"Hyuuga! Take it easy. It has only been five minutes of game yet! Oi, Kagami-kun! Go!" Kiyoshi continued with his good mood, a silly smile playing on his lips.

As agreed, Kagami immediately leaped to the other side of the field as the older student prepared to throw. All the players followed not thinking that it was abnormal that a second year could throw that far. Obviously the Quaffle calmly went to him as he waited near the hoops, and with ease, Tetsuya managed to slip between the confused Slytherins and pass to a waiting Kagami. The redhead used the strength from a powerful dive to power up the Quaffle's speed before leaping out of the way.

The crowd goes wild and whoever is commenting on the game sounds like his having a frenetic attack before sounds of shock and surprise fill the stadium. Murasakibara has the red ball in his hands, like it wasn't anything special. Tetsuya knows that his bad feeling was true after all. Not even Kiyoshi-san had been able to stop that particular goal from Kagami-kun before.

"Here goes… or something…" The purple haired boy lazily threw the Quaffle back in without a second thought and it barely leaves the goal zone before the four players are on it again with vicious intent. Captain Hyuuga seems to have sensed that it was getting dangerous and smartly stayed out of the way.

In less than 30 seconds the whistle is blown and Madam Hooch has to physically separate them to declare foul. "Cobbing! Slytherin gets a free throw! Gryffindor gets two!"

Now that the dust is set, Tetsuya can see that Kagami has a really nasty bruise on his right arm and a quickly swelling left cheekbone. Kise is grabbing his nose and there is blood all over his face. Himuro has a split lip. Aomine looks fine, just a bit upset.

Somewhere on his right Imayoshi is descending to contest Hooch's decision. He has two injured players after all! As it turns out, both Kise and Himuro were Aomine's doing and Kagami's only offence had been against the blunet for punching his brother on purpose. Wherever he appreciates his brother's gesture or not is a mystery but Kagami doesn't seem upset. He managed to get them two free throws after all.

x

The score did not change for the next half hour of game and as much as Taiga was having fun it was getting a bit frustrating and tiring. Most players were getting a bit desperate and fouls were being called left and right. It changed nothing because both Keepers were good. Extremely good. No matter how many times they tried no team could get a point in.

On the other hand Kiyoshi was clearly more tired than Murasakibara. Despite their best efforts, Slytherin managed to get more throws than them. Like now for example. He was definitely going to get a Blatching foul for this but Tatsuya's throws were dangerous and Kiyoshi was a bit distracted. They did not collide, even though the elder one snarled at him a bit as they passed, but it was enough to disturb his aim and give the Gryffindors' Keeper time to notice the problem. Kiyoshi was already diving to meet the red ball when Taiga heard Sakurai, from above them somewhere, yell his usual "I'm sorry!" which meant he had just hit another Bludger. A quick scan of the field showed him that neither Mitobe nor Koganei were around and there was a fast, mean and dangerous Bludger aiming for Teppei.

"Kiyoshi-senpai!"

There was a moment of calm in the half second it took the Keeper to see the threat. Kagami felt a great deal of respect for his senior when he deliberately choose to turn his back on it and continue his descend to defend his goals.

The sound of bone breaking made his stomach churn and somewhere on the benches, someone screamed before silence fell.

"Kiyoshi! You idiot! Madam Hooch…!" The Captain begun to yell for the referee but the other stopped him, one arm cradled under the other.

"No! I'm… I'm fine Hyuuga!"

"No, you're not you idiot! We need to call for a timeout before…"

"Foul! Kagami, Blatching! One free throw for Slytherin!" Madam Hooch yelled.

"… before she gives us the penalty…"

Taiga felt bad now. It was his fault that the other was going to defend a penalty with a broken arm. "Captain… I'm sorry I…!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Sakurai was still chanting as he passed them.

"Shut up stupid! And you too sorry-ass-mushroom!" Hyuuga yelled at both of them.

"… mushroom?"

"If you were really sorry you'd stop throwing Bludgers! Come on Kagami, we still have a game to play. And Kiyoshi is an idiot too!"

For some reason, Captain's crude attitude and Sakurai's confused face made him feel a bit better. And just in time for Tatsuya's throw. He watched the ball sail through the air with a graceful curve that always made him feel like he had been hit with a Confundus.

Kiyoshi leapt to his side ready to block, but the sudden movement shook his broken arm making him vacillate. The lost second proved fatal as the Quaffle passed him, only inches away from his fingers.

"Score! Score! The first points of the match! Ten points for Slytherin!" The announcer was yelling over the excited crowd.

"Ok, I think is time for a timeout already!" Hyuuga sighed morosely as he regarded his Keeper.

"Oh! The Gryffindors' Skeeker seems to have fallen from his broom! What a nasty fall!" The announcer sounded perplexed and all the players stopped mid-air startled.

"Oh, no! No, no, no… Izuki!" The brunet almost immediately located the fallen Skeeker. "Timeout! Timeout! For the love of Merlin, why now!?"

x

They were in a very sorry state when they stumbled into the changing rooms.

Kiyoshi-senpai was looking pale and Izuki was shaking and had to be held up by his teammates.

"I just… I slipped… I'm sorry Hyuuga… I slipped…" Was his constant mumbling.

"How much time do you want, son?" Madam Hooch asked from the rear as she was following them.

"At least ten minutes, please!"

"I won't give less than fifteen! That boy is suffering from exhaustion. I won't allow him in the broom with less!" And with that she turned around to declare her decision to the rest of the school.

"Thank you Madam!" They chorused.

Tetsuya nearly threw himself on the closest bench. He definitely did not have enough stamina for this.

"Izuki what happened? I never saw you like that before!" The Captain asked as he transfigured a makeshift cast for Teppei's arm. "Your Eagle Eye never let us down!"

The other groaned loudly as if just the reminder of that was painful. He was holed in between Koganei and Mitobe as they just sprawled themselves on the floor and helped keep him up. On their side, Kagami was sitting up, deeply asleep and snoring loudly.

"I guess Kuroko's advice was a bit wasted…" Izuki tried to joke but he only managed a weak chuckle and a look of pure horror. "He used it against me… my eyes… He was always on top of me! No matter where I went. I was so afraid to miss the Snitch because he was just on top of me! And then…! He would just suddenly bolt way!" Izuki looked near tears. "What was I supposed to think!? I thought he had seen it and I didn't! So I just followed him! Every Time! And he was so fast and just kept faking me and would get back on my face and… and…!" The boy was fully crying now and the rest of the team looked either too shocked or too awkward to say anything.

Tetsuya felt bad for his senpai but he truly was mad with Akashi. "Deep Psychological Pressure. Don't worry Izuki-senpai, it wasn't your flaw. Akashi-san was using war tactics… It is truly amazing that you managed to hold on for this long. What Akashi-san did was truly dangerous; to make Izuki-san so mentally and physically tired that he could no longer hold himself on a broom!" The blunet was unsure if he was reassuring them or scaring them further but he didn't know what else he should say.

"So… what is he supposed to do? How can he fight that!?" Kagami seemed to have woken up mid-conversation.

He had to think a bit about that. The tactic was meant to keep Izuki in high alert and to make him doubt himself. "It's a gamble mostly." He explained resolutely. "There is no other option other than ignoring him as best as you can when he is pressuring you. And when he bolts… let him go. Trust that your Eagle Eye can see the Snicth before him. Trust yourself!"

There was tired and frustrated silence hanging around and Tetsuya feared that his companions were far too demoralized to play seriously after this. Except maybe Kagami-kun.

"Yosh! Now that's done and talked I know what I'm going to do to breach Murasakibara's defense! Lend me your power guys!" It looked like a quick nap was all Kagami-kun needed to be pumping with energy again.

x

This time the beginning of the game wasn't as fast nor as violent. Even Slytherin was a bit more subdued on their attacks and that was good because they needed to prepare what Taiga had in mind and it would take them a while to get it right.

Izuki-senpai flew by, looking less tired and more determined and Akashi was right there on his tail, glued like a clam. That snake!

"Kagami!"

It was the signal! Time to get serious!

The play they were attempting was difficult and required a lot of coordination in the whole team. They had been practicing the individual parts since the beginning of the second part but it wouldn't be anything short of a miracle if they managed it perfectly at first try.

But Koganei's signal meant that the Beaters were ready and in position so there was barely any time to think. Kuroko was already on the move and suddenly the ball Aomine was holding was flying at Captain and almost immediately, at him.

Taiga hardly felt the soft leather of the Quaffle in between his fingers, before shooting up as high as he could. Distantly he heard the Bludgers make contact with the bats as supposedly Koganei and Mitobe were trying to make them cross each other, right above the opposite Chasers, creating a momentary barrier to halt their competition. They must have succeeded because Hyuuga and Kuroko joined him almost instantly and together they flew high up nearly above the goals.

"Ready? This is really dangerous!" The captain looked just a bit hesitant before they began their descent. There was no time to think, Aomine, Kise and Himuro were already on top of them.

"Let's do this!" He roared with excitement as they quickly left behind three confused Chasers and bravely dove full speed.

If he dared think too much about it he would probably throw up or something. He wasn't the most talented when it came to skillful throws that fooled the Keeper or changed direction, or were so unpredictable that you couldn't even try to catch them until the last second, like Tatsuya or Aomine. So he had to play with his only other weapon. Raw Power! If Murasakibara couldn't be fooled, them he would force his ball through him and the hoop!

Kuroko and Hyuuga were nothing more than another barrier to keep the Slytherins far away from him, but no one really wanted to go near him on his suicide dive, especially when he begun a corkscrew motion, trying to maximize the energy behind his throw.

The purple haired boy actually looked startled and hurriedly jumped aside when he passed, too shocked to try and defend. After that, Taiga only had half a second to throw the Quaffle and steady his broom before it hit the ground. He could feel the burn of the grass leafs on his knuckles and his ears were ringing from the brute force of the air. He took almost a full lap around the field to decelerate, still mostly deaf.

He could tell that Gryffindor was cheering but he had to ask Captain to make sure; he hadn't seen the ball go in after all! The older student gave up trying to talk to him when it was clear his ears weren't working and decided with a thumbs-up. It was clear and he was happy. He didn't even pay attention when Hyuuga begun mumbling about monsters or something like that.

x

"Bloody hell! That was amazing! And Hooch is not even killing him!" Aomine was cheering loudly looking just as excited as any Gryffindor in the stadium.

"Shouldn't you be worried Aomine-kun?" Tetsuya asked him with curiosity. He liked to see his friend so happy though.

"Are you kidding?! This is what the game needs!" The dark skinned boy had the biggest grin he had ever seen. "I can't wait to beat that!" He watched him fly by, his delighted laughter echoing louder than the crowd and his hearth filled with excitement as well. He wanted to play more and strengthen his bonds with his friends.

"Come on, Kuroko! Don't just stand there!" Hyuuga passed him and he quickly steered his broom to follow. The game was almost at a stand-still while everyone recovered from Kagami's astonishing stunt. "I don't know why Madam Hooch didn't come to scold him but I'm not complaining now! Let's take this chance and make a comeback!"

Aomine-kun seemed to have retrieved the ball from Himuro-san – that looked a bit out of it himself – and was flying back to them with confidence. Tetsuya launched forward, ready to steal that Quaffle but he was suddenly stopped by Kise.

"Kurokochi! I finally found you!"

The boy could only watch helplessly as Aomine passed them full speed clearly heading for Kiyoshi. Their Keeper was definitely not in shape to defend properly and the Slytherin Chaser had just as easily thrown off Hyuuga-senpai as he had him.

Thankfully, Kagami noticed his rival's intentions and quickly intercepted him. They fought over the Quaffle for a few moments before someone lost the grip and it was free-falling. The redhead's broom was just slightly faster but it was enough to get ahead and grab the ball before running away from the other.

It was probably due to everyone on the field being on shock still, that no one else followed the two aces up in the air. Tetsuya realized that his teammate intended on using the same trick again, taking complete advantage of the lack of action from the other team.

When he started his descend, the Slytherin followed closely clearly committed on keeping his word of trying to beat Kagami's attack. Tetsuya's hearth was about to jump from his throat as he watched his two best friends dive full speed to the ground. It was horrible and even scarier to watch from this angle but he couldn't take his eyes off them.

The only one that wasn't watching them fearfully was a certain purple haired Keeper. "Like hell I'll let ya!" This time, Murasakibara looked determined to stop Kagami and his super Quaffle throw.

In the end it all happened so quickly Kuroko thought that it had all been a dream and soon he would wake up and go to the field to have his first Quidditch game.

Kagami left Aomine behind halfway through and focused solely on the glaring Keeper. He didn't hesitate for a second. The ball left his grip full speed and Murasakibara braced for impact, his arms outstretched and his shoulders tense but firm.

The Quaffle literally forced its way through.

Murasakibara's right hand caught the round shinny ball just as it was about to pass the right ring; and for a second it looked like he had defeated the redhead and his monstrous shot. But the strength behind it forcefully pushed his hand, and arm, painfully back until its path was cleared. Then Madam Hooch signaled the end of the game and the ball passed the hoop.

"Slytherin wins! How unexpected!" The announcer's words rang hollow on Tetsuya's ears. "160 to 10 on Slytherin's favor! What a shame ladies and gentleman! Even after the amazing performance of Gryffindor's Chaser, Kagami Taiga, Madam Hooch won't accept points after the end signal! How sad!" He sounded far from sad. And the crowd was incredibly loud, but he couldn't muster the strength to understand if they were cheering or jeering.

He let his broom softly land on the grassy field next to his red haired teammate and together they walked in silence to where the captains were shaking hands again. This time their captain looked grave and barely spared a glance at the other.

Up ahead, Izuki was drowning on frustrated tears while being supported by Mitobe. "Damn it! Damn it! That bastard! He snatched it from right under my nose! I could feel those wings under my fingers already!"

In the end Akashi had bested them and proved himself superior. They had been crushed!

"Oi, Tetsu…" Aomine walked to them looking a little awkward and just a bit upset. "It sucks that she didn't give you the points. You deserved them!"

He couldn't help but feel affection for the blue haired ace when he remembered that one of the things he truly enjoyed on his friend was his fair play. "Yes… it sucked." It hurt to lose like this but at least he was still in good terms with his friend. When the other offered him his fist he didn't hesitate to meet him back.

Aomine paused for a second before he turned to address the other ace. "It was a good game, Bakagami! I'll beat that shot of yours next time!" Then he also offered the other his fist.

Kagami looked truly surprised but a pleased grin quickly overtook his whole face. "You bet, Ahomine! But don't count on it. Next time I'll be even stronger!"

And as the two rivals fist bumped each other, Tetsuya couldn't help but wonder if the three of them would one day be together as friends. He couldn't wait for that day!

x

It was somewhat disheartening. The results of the game weren't exactly shocking; Akashi was on the other team after all. But considering the effort Gryffindor had made it was just sad to see them lose like this. Even Shintarō wasn't completely immune to the gloomy aura around himself.

"Are you alright-nanodayo?"

Takao, and the rest of the Quidditch team, looked utterly depressed. He should have realized his mistake when he decided to take a seat on their benchers instead of the Ravenclaw's. It wasn't like he wanted to sit with Takao or anything! Not really! It was just that Fujioka-senpai and Tanaka-san had both been sitting there as well and he couldn't be bothered with anyone else!

"Ah… Shin-chan is worried about me? I'm happy." The sound that left him could have been a laugh; if his tone wasn't totally deprived of humor. "I really thought that we would win today."

The brunet had arrived almost half way through the game, suspiciously covered in some sort of gray dust, his attitude as frivolous as always. His coach had berated him strictly and somewhat cruelly but his good mood had never wavered like this.

As the crushed lions made their way to meet with the rest of their teammates, Shintarō wondered if he should go with them or stay behind, unsure of how welcome he was at the moment.

"Shin-chan, aren't you going to congratulate Akashi?"

The question made him pause. Was this Takao's way of sending him away? It would be natural for him to want to lick his wounds with his friends.

"I don't need to tell Akashi he did well. He already knows that." He peered at the other's face, hoping for a reaction he could decipher. All he got was a frown that deeply discouraged him. It wasn't like he had the right to get mad at the other if he wished to be alone. Even if he had gone out of his way to cheer him. "Do… do you wish me to go congratulate Akashi - nanodayo?"

Takao's face changed from confusion, to surprise to understanding in a matter of minutes and settled on something Shintarō couldn't identify, but it wasn't a bad expression. "No! No, definitely no! Come with us to the common room, Shin-chan! I'll show you my Muggle posters and all our stuff! And… and…" In the end Takao did not shut up all the way to the Gryffindor Tower, even after picking up the players.

True to be told, considering who they had just played against, Gryffindor wasn't in bad shape. Unfortunately, all they had to show were ten miserable points, four exhausted players, one Seeker near a breakdown and a newly pumped Kagami for some reason.

And Shintarō had managed good information about the two teams for future references.

xxx

A.N.: So what do you think? What was the result you were expecting?

I think that the GoM needs to show how good they are before they can be defeated. Kise didn't have much of a part this time but… And I'm not too disappointed with how the game was written; I'm not the biggest Quidditch fan, but because of that I had to dug deep into the game rules and fouls and it turned out to be a very interesting experience. I'm just glad this isn't a World Cup Game, because writing about fouls involving axes is weird. This way I managed to restrain myself to the ten basic ones!

This was the Slytherin lineup:

Keeper – Murasakibara Atsushi;

Chasers – Aomine Daiki, Kise Ryouta and Himuro Tatsuya;

Beaters – Sakurai Ryou and Imayoshi Shoichi;

Seeker – Akashi Seijūrō.

I probably won't make many changes there but it's something to consider in case one of the characters can't play for some reason.

Bonus wandlore:

Mitobe Rinnosuke - Alder, eleven and half inches, unyielding and unicorn hair core. Whilst Alder makes for an unyielding wood, its ideal owner is not stubborn or obstinate, but often helpful, considerate and most likeable. Whereas most wand woods seek similarity in the characters of those they will best serve, alder is unusual in that it seems to desire a nature that is, if not precisely opposite to its own, then certainly of a markedly different type.

When an alder wand is happily placed, it becomes a magnificent, loyal helpmate. Of all wand types, alder is best suited to non-verbal spell work, whence where its reputation for being suitable only for the most advanced witches and wizards.

A wand that performs best in silent spells. It's like it was made for our kind Mitobe-kun.