I know I'm a bit (a bit? lol no) late in uploading this but I can assure you I have various reasons. One of them is that I finally started school, and since this is my last year, I'm trying to make the best of it. There's also the fact that because it is the last year, I'm getting pounded on with the rest of the material I need before the year ends already. Why does school do this to us students?
Anyways, I really do apologize for updating this after 5ish months, but hey, all that matters is that I'm here now.
This chapter, I feel like it's more psychological than action-filled. It's weird but as I was writing this, I felt so compelled to just delve into the characters' mind and just analyze the shit out of it. (Oh, Akashi's part is gonna be fuuuuun).
I have new stories, if you wanna check them out :) My newest KnB story is another AoKaga (yass) called Everything Will be Okay and I have two MidoTaka stories that I'd really love if you'd check them out. One's coma related and the other is the zombie story I was talking to you guys about previously. I also have a Dan and Phil story but that's only for people who watch too much Youtube (and also have their lives ruined by it, AKA me).
Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter and thank you for waiting!
So, without further ado, here is the next chapter!
A few answers for my lovely reviewers:
awefanfic: What would happen now?will akashi return to normal?how many chapters?is it going to be one chapter each match?
A: I won't spoil about anything that will happen in the future. Akashi is still out of the picture as of now because I'm focusing on the other Generation of Miracles. Don't worry, Akashi will have his big moment to shine but for now, he's still chilling in the summer house. Not too sure about the chapters as well. I assume that it will be relatively short because I'm already in the third Generation of Miracle, but I do want to focus more on the psychological aspect of this, so the chapters may increase. For the last question, in Aomine's case, you'll see what happens here :)
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Guest: Is Aomine will be next for the next chapter? if so then it will be the same as anime/manga when they lose to him in interhigh and then payback at winter cup? I wonder what will Kuro-chan do if they lose to him in this story?
A: Yes, you have predicted correctly. This chapter is focused on Aomine (but only partly, and you'll understand why at the very end, so read the AN!) I kind of improvised on the whole Inter-High losing thing. I think I'm going to take that out and go straight for the summer match because I feel like it wouldn't fit well into the story. As for Kuro-chan's reaction, you'll just have to read :)
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Guest: I guess I could suggest the name of the school, what about Los Angeles National University?
A: I definitely would, but it's still high school :) Thanks for the suggestion, but I think in terms of school names, I'm going to leave it to the reader's interpretation. Name it whatever you'd like :D
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Dhea30: Midorima OC in this one? absolutely not! It's PERFECT. Next would be... Aomine? Looking forward to it! And Himuro would be there too, yay! Though I honestly hope for Nijimura to enter this story (maybe as the one to finally clear Akashi's problems with Kuroko? seeing you know, Nijimura was the only one who ever captained Akashi.). And maybe you can make Momoi come to LA to support Kuroko because she feels guilty? (pretty please...)
A: Aww, thank you for the compliment, it really boosted my confidence :) Yes, this chapter is on Aomine and I hope you like it! Still keep your hopes up for Himuro and Nijimura making their debut in this story, but as for Momoi, I highly doubt she'll be able to come to LA. It's be a bit of a stretch, you know? I'm sorry but I won't be adding her until the plot demands for it (which I doubt).
"Tiger, is it just me or are you limping a bit?" Ben suddenly asked as the group began to walk towards the beach for another summer day. It had been two days after the match with Midorima and it seemed like Kuroko's group was getting bigger by the day. Now, two of the Generation of Miracles were joining them on their trips to the beach and while it was a bit cramped and uncomfortable at first, they were slowly turning into sociable, good people.
Ben noticed the change in Kagami's walking on the third day of their anticipated summer vacation. Kagami hesitated on Ben's words but quickly tried to mask that with a smile.
"No, why?" Kagami asked with a horribly fake innocent expression. Kuroko's eyes narrowed, silently thanking Ben for bringing that up. Honestly speaking, Kuroko himself had see Kagami's legs acting up but was giving the red head the benefit of the doubt, in hopes of Kagami opening up to him instead of having to confront him.
"I don't know. You kind of look like you're in pain whenever you walk. Are you ok?" Ben specified and Kagami nodded his head a bit too quickly. He never was a good liar.
"Yeah, don't worry about it. I'm fine."
"Kagami-kun, please tell them the truth." Kuroko interrupted in Japanese and Kagami jumped in surprise as he didn't realize Kuroko was standing beside him. Immediately, his face contorted in pain and the others stopped walking in worry.
"Tiger, why didn't you tell us you were hurt?" Eddy, with a pained expression on him, asked and Kagami looked at him guiltily, silently telling him an apology.
Felix was already on his knees, checking Kagami's calves that were furiously twitching in pain.
"Tiger, you overexerted yourself." Felix concluded after a brief examination. The others looked at each other with troubled expressions, and Kagami bit his lip.
"Guys, I'm fine, really. I just —"
When did this happen?" Sebastian asks and with his cat eyes lit with fire, Kagami couldn't avoid the question. He unconsciously looked at Midorima, who looked guilty himself. If Kagami didn't know any better, he was sure Midorima knew that this happened because of their match.
"It just started stinging a bit after the match with Shin. Guys, really, you don't have to worry. I'm fine." Kagami tried to persuade but no one would believe him. Kuroko was practically glaring at him, and that made Kagami feel daunted and very small.
"Kagami-kun, why did you not tell us?" Kuroko asked, his voice cold, and Kagami bit his lips once more.
"It's really not a big deal, Tetsu. It'll heal fast. It'll —"
"Judging by how much effort you're putting in not trying put weight on them, it obviously won't." Midorima butted in, Kise trailing from behind anxiously.
"I'm telling you I'm fine."
Kuroko suddenly pushed Kagami down. From the unexpected action, Kagami fell to the ground without much of a struggle, and it surprised everyone in the group.
"Kagami-kun." Kuroko said with a demanding voice that Kagami never heard before. The atmosphere turned icy and Kagami looked at Kuroko, eyes slightly widened.
"As a friend, I have the duty to take care of you when you are hurt. As a friend, I should at least have your trust to rely on a friend at times of need. As a friend, I have the obligation and responsibility to support you whenever you need it. What is the point of being partners when you do not even trust me enough to tell me you are hurt?"
The group turned silent, even the surroundings around them dimming in sound. Kuroko's words echoed around them over and over again, and Kagami, after being in shock for so long, hung his head in shame.
"I'm sorry." He apologized with his eyes down-casted. "I didn't think people would worry this much. I really did think I was ok."
"Dude, you're more of an idiot than I thought if you think for a second that we wouldn't be worried about you." Ben said angrily, but his eyes were sympathetic.
Kagami lifted his head and gave them a small smile. "Right, I'm an idiot for even remotely thinking that you guys wouldn't care. Sorry about that."
"For the time being, let's get him to a place where he can rest. I'll look at it more closely." Midorima said, and while Kagami had a surprised look on his face, the others agreed with him naturally. Sebastian and Eddy took either side of Kagami's arm and hoisted him up, letting Kagami's arm rest on their shoulders, and their hands supported Kagami's legs strongly and lifted them up.
Kagami shouted in surprise. "What the fuck are you guys doing? Let me down!"
Eddy and Sebastian didn't answer him. Instead, they began running down to one of the restaurants at the beach, the rest of the group trailing behind them. Kagami kept screaming at them to let him down but ended up having to grab onto their shirts in fear of losing his balance and falling in the sand. When the group arrived to the restaurant, Felix went to talk to the manager of the place, which was coincidentally owned by April's aunt, and soon enough, they could get a small place at the back of the restaurant hut where they could lay down the red-haired man. It was the perfect place for the group to be at because the backyard was wide open, letting everyone have an amazing view of beach and sky, and they could easily ask April's aunt for food or drinks if they wanted to.
"Not cool. I could've walked here on my own." Kagami grumbled like a child, crossing his arms and pouting.
"Nope, never make that kind of face ever again, Tiger. Cute doesn't suit you." Ben commented in joking disgust. Kagami glared at him, but the joking sentiment was the same.
Midorima then walked up to Kagami, who was trying to get comfortable without using his legs. "Can I inspect your legs?"
"What are you, a doctor?" Kagami answered skeptically.
Midorima didn't look fazed at all. "My father is."
Kagami's retort died in his throat. With a dry look, he nodded, putting up no fight, and Midorima gingerly took one of his legs and began to scrutinize it. It was a bit harder to get the diagnosis without proper equipment, but judging by the constant twitching of his calves and the uneven bumps that was spread throughout his leg, Midorima could judge that, while it wasn't extreme, it was still enough to worry many.
"With a few days rest, he should be fine." Midorima's final verdict was, and the others sighed in relief. "If he doesn't use his legs for any harsh exercise or activity, he should be fully healed and ready to go."
"Thank goodness, I thought he wouldn't have been able to play basketball again." Eddy commented with his hand to his chest, clearly in relief.
Kagami looked horrified at the sudden thought. "Are you saying that if this were worse, I wouldn't have been able to even play anymore?"
Midorima glared at him like he was an idiot, which frankly, Kagami kind of was. "Of course, you idiot. Do you realize how dangerous over-exertion can be to an athlete? A single misstep and they may never be able to play again."
"But —"
"Midorima-kun is right. Kagami-kun. This is what I meant when I said you have to tell your friends. If you hadn't told us or if Ben hadn't noticed, who knows what you would have done to harm your legs even further. You have to be more considerate of your body." Kuroko added, evidently still angry.
Kagami looked at Kuroko with a sorrowful expression. "I'm sorry, Tetsu. I really am."
Kuroko's gaze softened because he knew Kagami was truly meant his apology and he knew how dire his actions were. "Please do not do this again, Kagami-kun."
Kagami's eyes then steeled. "I did what I had to do, Tetsu. I would've done anything to win, especially since your leaving was on the line." Midorima visibly winced at Kagami's words, realizing once again that Kagami's injury was because of him.
Kagami noticed the wince. "Oi, don't get all guilty on me now, bastard. I hate when people look down on me."
"You still got hurt." Midorima tried to retort but Kagami's intense gaze made Midorima's voice sound so small.
"It doesn't matter. I should've known my boundaries but didn't. You did what you could to win. What else could anyone ever hope for?"
"But —"
"There is no feeling better than when you realize that a strong opponent acknowledges your own skill. You acknowledged me, which meant that you were going full on out with me. What better way to have a match? Who cares if I got a bit hurt. In the end, we still won against you." Kagami said with a big grin on his face and Midorima smacked him on the head.
"Fool, I'll win next time. Don't get your hopes up solely because you were lucky that one time." Midorima responded, but it actually looked like he was having fun.
"You know, I feel really left out right now. And I'm the one who carried you." Sebastian interfered with his hands to his hip, feigning hurt.
Kagami barked in laughter. "Never said you had to carry me, although if you were to do it a bit more often, I'd much appreciate it."
"Fuck you, Tiger. Do you realize how heavy you are? It was like carrying a freaking elephant!" Sebastian replied, his hand dramatically placed onto his chest, and then also gave the red-head a smack to the head.
"Is this Smack-Tiger-Day? Stop hitting me, will you?" Kagami complained as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Please, as if that's enough to make you feel anything. You should try getting hit by one of your own punches, man. Now that's something to complain about." Ben said, hitting Kagami in the head. Kagami bared his teeth to try and scare away the brown-haired man but Ben merely raised his eyebrow with minimal amusement.
"It's true. Tiger, your punches could knock out even the strongest gangsters in the area. Like seriously, stop being such a monster." Eddy commented with a natural, breezy smile. They all laughed, Midorima and Kise included, and the tense atmosphere from just a few minutes back dissipated into thin air, as if it never happened.
For the rest of the day, they all hung out at the small backyard of the restaurant, now and then ordering nonalcoholic margaritas from April's aunt, and just talked about everything and nothing. They talkws about basketball, about Midorima and Kise's life in middle school, about the time Kagami was bit by a dog and now had a trauma of it, and just generally anything that friends talked about. Midorima and Kise were becoming used to this kind of thing, this nonchalant chatting, and were actually starting to enjoy their time with the rest of the group. They felt as though they were truly part of this friend group, and it reminded them of their time in middle school, before Aomine's sudden talent surge. They felt like they were part of a family again.
When it was time to leave, the sun had already begun to gone down and most of the people at the beach were packing their things to leave. Eddy called a taxi and began to hoist up Kagami with their arms interlocking with each other's shoulder. Sebastian tried to help but Kagami refused, saying that he was alright now. Kuroko also said goodbye to the rest of the group, gave Midorima and Kise a long, unreadable look before leaving, and soon enough, it was just the two Generation of Miracles at the restaurant.
The two sat at the edge of the floor, exactly where Kagami had been just a few minutes ago, and the two looked at the warm, orange sky. The blazing sun was now finally falling down, letting the moon substitute after another long day. The sky mashed up various shades of red and orange, making the collage of colors so beautiful that anyone's soul could have been melted with warmth. Kise looked dreamily into the distance, reminiscing about today. Midorima, on the other hand, was starting to get nervous.
Kise picked it up a few moments later. "Midorimacchi, what's wrong?"
Midorima looked at Kise with unmasked, worrying eyes. "Kise, we have a week and a half left."
Kise immediately knew where the green-head was going with this. "Has time already gone by so fast?" He asked, sitting upright with his whole body tense.
Midorima nodded. "Whichever way it goes, we will have to leave."
Kise's eyes started to go teary. "But it's so nice here. And the people are really kind."
Midorima couldn't help but agree. It truly felt as if he were a part of something again. "Yes."
"Do we really have to fight them?" Kise desperately asked, looking at Midorima for an answer that they both wanted to hear.
However, Midorima was never one to lie and he wasn't going to do it now, no matter how much it pained him to say it. "We do. There is nothing that will change Akashi's mind."
Kise stayed quiet for a few seconds, letting the slight chirping of birds take over their silent surroundings. Then, "Why are we so afraid of him? Why are we so willing to put up so much with someone like him?"
"What do you mean?" Midorima asked tiredly. He literally just had this crisis a few days ago.
"Why are we doing this? Just what gave Akashicchi the right to order us around like this? To go so far as to force us to come to America?"
"Kise —" Midorima started to say but was immediately cut off.
"No, I don't want any excuses. I want to know why, just why I'm going through with all this bullshit when Akashi doesn't even own me. Why in the world did I fucking agree to come here in the first place? Who does Akashi think he is, thinking that he has total control over us? We're not his slaves, for fuck's sake!" Kise bursted in anger, his voice resonating loud enough that the people inside the restaurant all turn their heads in curiosity.
April's aunt, a sweet, middle-aged woman called May, walked over to them with a worried expression. "Is everything ok there?"
Kise's face turned red with embarrassment. "Yes, sorry about that."
May look at the blond skeptically. "Right, well, if you need anything, just call."
"That won't be necessary. We'll be leaving soon ourselves. Thank you for your hospitality." Midorima answered, formally bowing to her as a habit of his. May looked extremely distressed by the sudden action but smiled softly soon after.
"No problem. I'm always happy to help out my dear niece's friends." May then walked even closer to them and leaned in. Kise and Midorima, curious, imitated her action. "Next time, tell me when you're going to bring that sandy-haired boy again. He looks like he'll be a good match for April."
Kise and MIdorima looked at each other for a split second, trying to figure out who in the world May was talking about, but their minds click at the same time as soon as they realized that there is only one sandy-haired man in the group.
"Do you mean Felix? The man with blue eyes?" Midorima provided.
May nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, yes, him. He was so polite in asking me if you lot could stay and I had seen him a few times talking with April. I think he's the perfect man for her."
Kise smiled mischievously. "Does April like Felix?"
May mimicked the expression. "Oh, you have no idea." She said vaguely. May then walked back into her restaurant, swaying her hips in a joking manner, and started to tend another customer, as if the discussion had never existed.
Kise and MIdorima glanced at each other once before both started laughing. Kise was practically rolling on the ground and Midorima couldn't help letting out a few snickers of joy.
"We definitely have to get them together." Kise declared and Midorima nodded, agreeing with Kise easily, something he never would have done had he stayed in Japan. He had to admit, coming did have its perks.
"It's almost painful to see their awkwardness with each other." Midorima contributed and for another minute or so, they merely pour over how Felix and April are the perfect couple. It was weird for Midorima to be having this kind of conversation with anyone, let alone Kise, his former teammate. After everything they had been through, after practically ignoring each other in high school, they were here, laughing and gossiping about a friend they made in LA. It was completely unexpected, and yet, completely whole-hearted.
"We have to devise something. I refuse to go back to Japan before seeing them together." Kise proposed and the cheerful, almost careless moment was suddenly over. The two were yanked back into reality as they realized just why they had come here in the first place.
"I don't want to leave." Kise said morosely and Midorima looked down-casted himself.
"I know."
"Everything is perfect here."
"I know."
"I don't want to beat them and force Kurokocchi to leave."
"I know."
"He loves it here."
"I know."
"What can we do, then? How can we convince Akashi to stop this?"
Midorima looked at Kise once before closing his eyes and covering them with his hands. He sighed as dread and an unknown burden started to weigh down his shoulders.
"We can't."
Aomine was getting antsy. Even he admitted that he wasn't the most social person on this planet, but now, he was actually getting desperate for human contact. Sure, he had Murasakibara and Akashi in the house with him but he wasn't necessarily that friendly with either them, even more so because they were all still on awkward terms with each other.
Thinking back on it now, he was never really good friends with Murasakibara in the first place, even when they were in middle school, because it seemed like the two didn't have any common interests. In the end, they left each other alone for their own quirks, Murasakibara with his food and Aomine with his manly needs (in other words, porn). Akashi, Aomine didn't even want to think about. He was still extremely bitter with Akashi and his actions, and he didn't even want to confront the red-head. Not that he had to, anyways. Akashi was always away to who knew where in the summer house, and he was always on the phone, talking to whomever. Not only that, Akashi was on edge. He was practically at the brink of exploding. Just a single look at him at dinner yesterday and Aomine knew that with just a single misstep, he would end up dying from a sudden mine explosion.
And now, the only two people Aomine could tolerate talking to weren't even around the house anymore. In fact, he realized that he had barely seen Kise and Midorima since they had arrived to LA. He didn't really care much about Kise leaving the house; it was to be expected, really. He was as sociable as people could get, considering his part-time job as a model, but Midorima was a complete surprise. Aomine never even contemplated Midorima talking to people, much less having a social life, but now that the Generation of Miracles were here, it was as if he had gone through a 180 degree personality change. He was now hanging outside of the house, and with Kise, one of the most bubbly, cheerful, almost borderline annoying people in the group.
It left Aomine dumbfounded. But even more so, it left him with a sour taste in his mouth. Here he was, lounging about in the couch, occasionally going outside for some one-man basketball, absolutely miserable. Kise wouldn't even join him for a one-on-one anymore, which surprised the tanned man more than it should have. Everything in Aomine's eyes was turning upside down, and it made him nauseous with anger.
Just what was so special about this place? This godforsaken place was just riddled with extremely sunny days, too much noise, and great amounts of English that no Japanese person should ever have to encounter. Aomine hated it here because it felt as if he was being restricted. He didn't know what was being restricted or why, but it was irritating the hell out of him and he was just itching to punch something.
When the door opened to the summer house and the two Generation of Miracles, Kise and Midorima, entered, Aomine was already waiting by the side, impatiently tapping his finger on the counter.
"And where the hell were you two at?" Aomine started with an angry glint in his eye. Midorima casually looked at him, shrugged, and without even opening his mouth, he passed Aomine and walked towards his room.
Aomine was having none of it. The summer heat was already getting to him and he refused to have anyone ignore him so blatantly like that. Before Midorima could move a step closer to his room, Aomine grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around forcefully.
Midorima choked in his own spit from the sudden movement, and stood there frozen with wide eyes as he met Aomine's blazing blue eyes. "What do you think you're —" The green-haired man started to say but was immediately cut off by Aomine.
"I was asking you a goddamn question, bastard. And you're not moving even an inch from that place Kise, you got that?" He quickly warned when he saw the blond starting to tip toe away from the corner of his eye. The blond immediately froze in his place, looking terribly uncomfortable.
Midorima was trying to get Aomine's hand to budge from his shoulder. "Will you let go of me? It's very unpleasant for you to touch me like this." He said in distaste.
"Fuck you, Midorima. I wouldn't have had to do this if you just answered my question."
Midorima glared. "I don't see why I have to. You already know anyways."
"Fine, then let me change it. What were you doing?" Aomine said, his eyes and Midorima's staring at each other in great discontent. Kise began shivering from the cold atmosphere.
"Guys, come on. We shouldn't be fighting like this." Kise tried to intervene but was quickly shut down by Aomine's fiery blue eyes, filled with animosity.
"Shut the fuck up, Kise. I wasn't talking to you." Aomine gritted out.
Kise wasn't having this. What was the point of trying to be peaceful and calm when the opponent refused to have one? He had just had a horrible talk with Midorima and he was already feeling like shit. He didn't need the person he most admired to talk down on him, like he was a lesser human being. "What the fuck is your problem?" He spit out, unable to contain himself.
"Hah? Are you talking to me, fucker?" Aomine said as he sharply turned his head to the fuming blond. Soon forgetting about the taller man in front of him, Aomine sauntered up to Kise and grabbed him by the helm of his shirt.
Pulling Kise's face close to his, Aomine said, "Repeat that again, will you?"
Kise didn't back down. Instead, he narrowed his golden eyes to meet Aomine's glare. "Did you not understand what I said?" He asked. "What the fuck is your problem?" Kise then responded slowly, purposely making it sound like he was talking to a five year old child.
Aomine noticed it instantly. Unable to control his accumulating anger, he got ready to swing a punch at Kise's model face but was stopped at the last second by Midorima, who held onto Aomine's arm quickly.
"Stop fighting, this is insane. Aomine, what is wrong with you?" Midorima shouted, the clamor loud enough to make Murasakibara come out of the kitchen in curiosity.
"What's all this noise?" Murasakibara asked in a lazy voice, dragging out most of the words. He looked at the scene bestowed upon him and tilted his head slightly. "Why does Mine-chin look like he wants to murder something?"
"It's none of your business. Go back to eating snacks or something." Aomine grumbled as he shook Midorima's hand from him. Murasakibara stayed there for a few seconds, saying nothing, but then shrugged and promptly went back inside. The tension that had been interrupted by the giant slowly returned, but this time, the anger was slowly diminishing.
Aomine took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair. "Will you two just answer the goddamn question?"
"I don't see why you're so curious about it." Midorima noted.
"Why are you suddenly so angry?" Kise added, and Aomine clicked his tongue impatiently.
The summer heat must have truly been getting to him. "You know what? Forget about it. I'm going to sleep." He replied with in a sharp tone. Midorima and Kise looked at each other for a second, baffled at Aomine's sudden mood swings.
"Aominecchi, what's wrong?" Kise called out in a last attempt to try to understand the situation but the tanned man merely ignored him, going to his room and locking the door so that he would have some peace and quiet.
"I could go to the beach tomorrow." He muttered to himself as he lied down on the comfortable bed. Sure, the mattress was extremely soft and it felt like clouds, but Aomine didn't like it. He didn't like this bed because it wasn't his own. He missed the bed he had been using since elementary school, where all different kinds of memories lied beneath it. He missed his bed and everything around it; his desk, his closet, the basketball hoop that his father had once installed when he was little. Hell, he even missed his parents, and that was saying something.
"Yeah, the beach sounds nice." He then said, closing his eyes with a grimace as he covered his face with the pillow. Again, he didn't like it. It wasn't his. There was no lingering scent whatsoever because it was always washed the next day. Instead of smelling the usual sweat and basketball rubber, he was always smelling lavender and white rose petals. It wasn't pleasant; in fact, it was giving him headaches.
In the end, however, he had to resist going outside to get aspirin for this headache that kept bothering him since they came here. He had to resist opening the door and facing the others because if anything, he hated seeing the color red.
For unknown reasons, the next day, Aomine found Midorima and Kise lounging in the living room. Murasakibara was obviously still in the kitchen — it was practically his second home by now — and he didn't even acknowledge Akashi's presence, not that he was there in the first place. He was probably taking another call in another room.
He walked over to where they were, curiosity sparking within him, and saw that they were in deep conversation. He walked as silently as possible, with the intention of eavesdropping, and crouched down behind the sofa, listening clearly to what the two were talking about. For the most part, it worked.
"…telling you that we can't."
"But if we could just explain how much he loves being here, maybe we could —"
"You saw how he reacted at school. You saw how ineffective that was. Do you really expect that he'll change his mind if we, of all people, told him?"
"…Ok, fine. You have a point. Isn't there any other way then?"
"I thought I told you before, we can't do anything about it. In the end, we're going to have to do as he says."
"Why is Akashicchi so intent on bringing him back anyways?"
"I don't know. Maybe it's a way to regain his pride as the 'all-knowing.'"
"Midorimacchi, is that sarcasm?"
"I thought that was obvious."
"Right, but normally you talk that way, so it's kind of hard to distinguish."
"Your point being?"
"Midorimacchi, I don't want to do this. I don't want to participate in the match anymore."
"And do you think I do?"
Aomine's eyes widened. Blowing his cover, he stood up quickly from his crouching position and surprised the two Generation of Miracles by thumping his hands on the sofa with a loud bang. "You guys don't want to participate in the match anymore?"
"When did you come here?" Midorima replied in slight surprise, also slightly offended that he didn't notice such a loud, bumbling idiot in the first place.
"Doesn't matter. Have you guys actually gone soft because of some Americans?" Aomine accused, his eyes hard and sharp. Kise looked very uncomfortable, just like last time, but Midorima merely shrugged, not letting the words get to him.
"It's our decision whether we want to play or not. I, for one, will do what I can to get out of it."
"Akashi's not going to let you." Aomine pointed out and noticed how Midorima's hands clenched at the mention of Akashi's name.
"Akashi doesn't dictate our lives." Midorima responded sharply.
Aomine rolled his eyes. "Yes, because if he did, we surely wouldn't be here, in fucking America, trying to take someone who won't even look at us properly."
"He won't look at you properly, Aomine." Midorima corrected bluntly and Aomine's eyes widened.
"What did you say?"
"You're just angry because Kuroko doesn't consider you his partner anymore. We can all see it. You're not exactly that hard to read."
"Midorimacchi…" Kise said in a low voice, trying to warn the green-head to stop provoking a sleeping monster. If Midorima got the foreboding, he didn't act like he did.
"Mind clarifying that for me, bastard?" Aomine said, his eyes flashing red.
Midorima was unfazed. "Kuroko is doing just fine without you, Aomine. Without any of us, for that matter. You're just harboring anger towards Kagami because you think he took away your partner."
When Aomine said nothing in return, Midorima continued. "Aomine, you have to realize your own mistake. You were the one that let go of Kuroko. The moment your talent surged, you were leaving him behind, and you knew it. You knew it and even then, you still let your emotions control you. You ended up neglecting him as both a partner and a friend because you were selfish and decided that putting the effort was not worth it anymore. Even when you knew Kuroko was struggling to keep up with you, you let your ego get to you and you left him behind in the rain. You left him to give him the wrong realization that he was practically worthless to the team. You were the one that made him realize such a terrible, untrue assumption."
"Shut the fuck up." Aomine whispered, his mind becoming disarrayed by the second.
"What?" Midorima asked, his arms crossed and his eyes ready for conflict.
"I said shut the fuck up!" Aomine then screamed as he unconsciously grabbed Midorima's head and pushed him to the side of the sofa. Midorima's head landed with thunk, thankfully still on the couch, and Aomine glared down as Midorima slowly lifted his head, more from shock than from pain. Murasakibara once again entered the scene, relatively oblivious but curious and maybe even a bit worried as he checked on his former teammates.
"You have no right to assume that. What did you ever know about me and Tetsu anyways?" Aomine gritted, his breath jagged.
Midorima adjusted his glasses but refused to look at the tanned man. "What do you think me and Kise have been doing for the last couple of days? Unlike a certain someone, we were actually doing something to set things right again."
"Are you talking about me? You're basically calling me a coward, aren't you?" Aomine asked, his breath turning uneven and his eyes becoming slightly unfocused.
"I am." Midorima said simply.
"And what gives you the right to say that?"
"You believe it yourself, don't you? If you didn't, you never would've gotten angry like this." The green-haired man said simply and Aomine was ready to start a fight with the taller man in a fit of complete and utter fury.
"Murasakibaracchi, hold him down!" Kise yelled at the last second, and Murasakibara, feeling the alarming furor of Aomine himself, did as he was told. Using his basketball reflexes, the purple-haired giant reached for Aomine's shoulders and pulled him towards him, then gripping them as tightly as possible to stop any momentum in Aomine's body.
The tanned man struggled to get out of Murasakibara's grip but even he had to admit that in terms of strength, he was lacking.
"Let me go." Aomine warned but Murasakibara shook his head.
"Mine-chin is being scary." He drawled as an excuse. Technically speaking, it was true.
Midorima let out the breath he didn't know he was holding. "Aomine, I don't regret any of the words I spoke to you. If anything, I'm proud that I did. If you're this angry at me, it means that you regret something that involves Kuroko. Will you get that through your mind already?"
"Fuck you, Midorima. I don't have to listen to you for a goddamn second." Aomine spat out but stopped trying to get out Murasakibara's hold. He didn't want to accept it, but what Midorima had just said was all true. He was angry because his friend was taken away from him. He was even angrier because he got replaced with a basketball player that wasn't as remotely good as him. And yet, why? Why did Kuroko choose Kagami Taiga instead of him? What did he do wrong?
"Let go, Murasakibara."
"But Mine-chin might hurt people again."
"I'm not going to. I'm going to go the beach. Now let me go." He said, losing the adrenaline and making his body go slightly limp. The giant looked at Kise for confirmation and with a small pause, the blond nodded his head and Murasakibara let him go.
Aomine didn't pause to look at either of them. Instead, he marched right to the entrance way and walked out, determined to get his muddled thoughts in order by taking a stroll in the beach. Maybe then, he would be able to work why this headache was only getting worse.
Surprisingly, in a twisted turn of events, he found Kagami in a street basketball court nearby the beach he was going to. At first glance, it looked like Kagami was getting ready to do a drive, really to quickly pass his invisible opponents. However, at the last second, the red-head stopped, his legs frozen in place and he winced.
Aomine walked a bit closer to see that Kagami was holding onto one of his calves, biting his lip as if to block out a groan of pain.
"Come on, Taiga, you can do this." Kagami muttered to himself in English and Aomine's eye twitched. He was Japanese; wasn't he supposed to think and mutter in Japanese?
Aomine was a horrible person. He knew it so well himself, but Midorima had made it painful obvious both yesterday and today. If anything, he outlined everything that Aomine was storing in his mind as a means of procrastination. He was such a horrible person that he strode right up to Kagami, who was now sitting in the middle of the court with his head hung low, and hit him hard on the back.
The red-head jumped from the sudden contact. It didn't necessarily hurt because he had gone through worse pains, but it still shocked him enough to become a bit disoriented.
"Yo." Aomine introduced with a smug grin on his face. Kagami's eyes immediately narrowed at the sight of him.
"What are you doing here?" He asked in a guarded expression.
Aomine shrugged casually. "Can't a guy walk around the area? I am here for vacation, you know?"
Kagami couldn't help but laugh sarcastically. "Vacation? Yeah, if you consider forcefully taking a friend away vacation."
Aomine narrowed his eyes. "Tetsu's supposed to be with us, in Japan."
"He was never yours to take in the first place. You can't just take him, thinking that he'll just agree with you and frolic away. He likes it here."
"You don't know that."
"I do. I'm with him pretty much every day. We're best friends."
Aomine's fists clenched. "We are. You're not in the picture."
"Last time I checked, I was and you were still in Japan." Kagami said with a bored expression. It was more than enough to rile the tanned man, however, especially considering how casual Kagami made it sound, and he grabbed the red-head by the helm of his shirt. Kagami didn't budge from the ground but he did lift his head to meet Aomine's blue eyes.
"I'm taking him back." Aomine declared.
Kagami grimaced in annoyance. "You don't get to decide that. It's Tetsu's choice to make."
"You don't get to call him that!" Aomine roared, his anger fully exploding. All the stress he had, all the anger he felt, everything negative that had been stacking up inside him since middle school burst open and overflowed. He punched Kagami in the face at full force, wanting to damage everything about the red-head in front of him, to let him know how much he hated him.
To Aomine's disappointment, Kagami didn't fly away like he expected him, like in his imagination. Instead, he turned his head around to face Aomine again and spit right next to him.
"I can call my best friend whatever I want. You don't have the right to order me around." Kagami said with a glare. His cheek started turning red but it looked like Kagami didn't feel it, and if he did, he didn't show it.
Aomine's patience was reaching its end. He was truly losing his mind. His headache was growing bigger and heavier, and it felt like boulders were crashing down on him.
"You think you're the shit, don't you?" Aomine began. "Just because you won against two of the Generation of Miracles, you think you can beat every one of us, don't you?"
Kagami's eyebrow raised subtly. "I thought that was obvious. We're definitely going to beat you, no matter what."
Aomine smiled, and for some reason, it sent shivers down Kagami's spine. "Then, have a match with me. A one-on-one. I'll show you just how much you lack compared to me."
With the way Aomine was looking at him, as if he were a weakling, Kagami couldn't back down. His legs were still stinging, but even then, he proudly stood up against the tanned man. He was a bit shorter than him but a lot bulkier, letting Aomine know that he wasn't one to back down from any fight.
Aomine smiled once more, his provocation as simple and easy as counting to ten, and he got ready to crush the spirit that Kagami was practically born with.
A complete, overwhelming loss for the red-head. Kagami fell down in exhaustion, his breath jagged and his legs barely able to move. Aomine stood in front of him, making him look like a giant. Or for a better word, like a monster. The score was 10 to 0, a score Kagami could have never predicted.
He had never felt more useless before in his life. There he was, ready to beat the hell out of the navy-haired man, show him a lessons or two, and maybe finally convince that Kuroko was never his to take. He was ready to be merciless for the sake of his best friend, even if it meant destroying the strength left in his legs. He was ready to win.
But then, Aomine moved forward, and everything else became a complete and utter blow. For no longer than three minutes, Kagami had been completely overwhelmed. Aomine was everywhere and nowhere, the basketball appearing and disappearing right before his eyes. Before he knew it, the swish of the net had all gone to Aomine and Kagami, no matter how hard he tried, couldn't, for the sake of his life, keep up.
Regret filled Kagami's stomach as he realized he couldn't move his legs. Why did he fall for such a cheap provocation? Hadn't he promised his friends that he would take it easy, not to burden his legs and make them worry even more? Hadn't he looked straight into Kuroko's eyes and gave him his word that he would be careful? Why had he done it? Why did he fall for Aomine's trick?
"And you call yourself strong?" Aomine mocked with the basketball tucked by his side.
"One more." Kagami huffed unintentionally, the words were practically falling out the moment he opened his mouth, but as he tried to stand up again, his legs gave out on him, leaving him on his knees, groveling.
"Did you really beat Midorima? He's lost his touch." Aomine continued.
"Bastard…"
"Without Tetsu, you're weak. You can't do anything without getting support for him. It's one of the reasons why you can never beat me. Did you never realize that?"
"Realize what?" Kagami growled, still struggling greatly to get to his feet and at least pretend that his legs were fine.
"Tetsu always was and always will be a shadow. He chose me as his partner back in middle school because he could shine in the dark while I shined at front. With you, he can't possibly have that opportunity. You're weak. Your light is too dim."
"You —"
"There he is! Goddamn it, he just won't listen to us! Tiger!" A voice rang and the people inside the court turned their heads to see Kuroko and Eddy running over here. Kagami's eyes widened, now obviously trying his hardest to stand up and show them that he didn't overexert himself again. But the two came too early and Kagami was forced to fall down to the ground once more.
"Kagami-kun, are you ok?" Kuroko asked, completely ignoring the other teen, and Kagami lowered his head enough so that no one could see his pained expression.
"I'm fine. I just… need to rest for a bit. That's all." Kagami said with a forced cheerful tone but it was obvious that no one, not even Eddy who didn't even understand what the red-head just said, believed that.
"What happened? Tiger, we told you that you needed to rest!" Eddy reprimanded.
"How did you know I was here?" Kagami asked as he lifted his head slightly. Eddy gave him a disapproving look.
"We went to check up on you when your dad told us that you were visiting my house."
"Fuck." Kagami muttered under his breath and Eddy crossed his arms in anger.
"I knew you'd be at the basketball court because you're a basketball idiot. You look even worse than you did yesterday. Shin even told you to rest!"
Kagami said nothing, avoiding Eddy's gaze.
Kuroko sighed. "For the moment, we should get him to a hospital to check his condition." Eddy agreed and began to hoist Kagami up.
Kagami unwillingly complied and the two left, Kagami limping awkwardly while Eddy did his best to make his friend more comfortable.
Before they could completely leave, however, Kagami looked back to see Aomine's grin, as if he was proud of making Kagami's state like this.
"I'll make you pay, bastard." Kagami declared and with the help of Eddy, the hobbled their way to the nearest taxi stop.
Aomine stood there, hands to his hips and smiling egotistically. Having that basketball match didn't lessen the pain in his head but it was enough to relieve some of the stress. He was a bit disappointed that he couldn't burn out Kagami's passion for basketball, but leaving him disabled was a bit of a thrill for him, no matter how horrible that sounded.
Then, the realization dawned on him that he wasn't alone. He looked to his side and saw Kuroko standing stiff next to him. His face was molded into a poker face but Aomine knew better. Inside, the teal-haired man was fuming.
"Tetsu, I —" Aomine started to say, trying to dispel the awkward atmosphere between them, but his sentence was cut off by Kuroko's sharp voice.
"Are you satisfied, Aomine-kun?"
Aomine was taken back. It wasn't so much what he said that shocked him, but more so his tone of voice. Aomine had never heard that kind of voice from him before.
"What? Tetsu, I just —"
"Kagami-kun would have never done such a harmful thing to himself, not after the conversation we had yesterday. He never would have done such a reckless thing if someone hadn't provoked him. You, of all people, should have known that he was injured. You should have seen from the moment he walked that he was hurt. Why did you do it? What made you so angry that you just had to hurt my friend?"
"He's not your friend! We are!" Aomine shouted in hurt, a pain in his chest gradually turning worse. He didn't even want to talk about the headache.
"You are not." Kuroko disclosed coldly. It felt like Aomine was falling.
"Tetsu…"
"I cannot consider you a friend if you intentionally hurt others."
"We've practically been doing that since middle school! Why are you are getting so angry now?" Aomine screamed in a heap of furor, but not even a second later, his blood turned cold as he realized his mistake.
"Then you understand why I refuse to go with you all."
Aomine's eyes widened as the final blow led him to take a few steps back and trip on his own feet. Kuroko did nothing as Aomine fell to the ground, and the tanned man shook his head to rid himself of the shock. He lifted his head, met Kuroko's cold, glacier-like eyes, and couldn't help but look away. Aomine was shivering inside.
"Please await the match, Aomine-kun. We will win." Kuroko finished, his voice devoid of any emotion except hatred and animosity, and he left Aomine alone on the ground, refusing to even look at him. A few seconds passed after Kuroko's dismissal that Aomine finally found the strength to stand up. Immediately after, his head took a turn for the worse, making his eyesight blur and his stance shift unstably.
"Are you ok?" A man he didn't know, who was shorter and less bulkier than him, asked in worry. Aomine merely pushed him away weakly, walking a few steps before stopping and leaning onto the fence that surrounded the court.
"I can take you to the hospital. You don't look so hot."
"I don't know what you're saying. Fuck off." Aomine growled but was in such a soft voice that the man didn't understand, not that he would either way since Aomine said it in Japanese.
"Come on, the taxi stop is just around the corner. I'll take you there."
"I said fuck off!" Aomine finally roared, his voice shaking but still strong. The man took a step back, examining him and sauntering to the other direction with a disgusted look on his face.
"Fucking bastard." Aomine heard the stranger muttering, but he didn't care. This was who he was, anyways. He knew that from the very start. There was no way that would ever change.
This pain in his head, the agonizing burn that continued to maul at his heart was too much for him to handle. He stumbled on his own feet and almost fell to the ground had it not been for his hand supported on the fence.
He took a few minutes there, taking deep breaths to try to calm himself down. On and on, Kuroko's words drowned him, and it felt like this entire trip had been a lie. He had come here without a complaint because he had a purpose. He was motivated enough to follow Akashi's orders because he wanted his friend back. But to hear that he wasn't even considered a friend anymore? Then why was he still here? Why was he going through so much pain if his only purpose was crushed right in front of his eyes?
Aomine grew angry. He wasn't satisfied anymore with just hurting Kagami's pride. He wanted to do the same to all of Kuroko's friends. He wanted to prove to Kuroko that they were the only friends he had; that, without them, he would a nobody.
"The match. I'll beat them to the ground in the match." Aomine mumbled as his hand that had been gripping the fence let go and he began walking again.
When he arrived, Midorima and Kise were waiting for him.
"Aominecchi, what happened?" Kise asked in worry as he saw the evident beads of sweat running down Aomine's forehead.
"Aomine, what did you do?" Midorima instead said in a furious voice. It was as if Midorima could read Aomine's mind. He knew from the moment Aomine entered that he had done a sinful thing.
"I'll beat them to the ground in the match." Was Aomine's only answer before going to his room, locking the door, and sleeping the entire day away.
So, how was it? Good, bad, meh? Tell me in the review!
Ooooh, we got to see a really, really pissed Kuroko in this one, and I'm glad I added this. I feel like, in terms of establishing Kuroko as a well-defined character, this really made him feel more three-dimensional.
Also, anyone else worried for Kagami? I know I am! (What shall this writer who almost rarely writes happy endings do next? Hmmm?)
Anyways, did you guys like how I portrayed the characters here? I personally loved how I took Aomine's mind and made it more complex. We in the KnB fandom seem to have stereotypical portrayals of characters, like Kuroko never having emotion, or Kise being overly cheerful and annoying, and even Aomine because the complete idiot who only likes porn. Sure, I added those qualities in, but I want to break this stereotypical thinking and make people see that these people have their own problems and they're not at all single thinkers.
I'm going to leave Aomine's arc here because I wouldn't want to destroy the flow that I've established. It definitely would have been good had I put the Inter-High Winter Cup development from unable to beat Aomine to beating him at the last second, but I'm thinking of mashing that up. I'm not going to completely follow the original manga (that's for my other story, Who Am I?) and while the order and some events are the same, I will put my own fling to it.
I hope you all enjoyed and next up, we're going to have Murasakibara! (Will this finally be the chapter where I introduce Himuro? Or will I end up completely forgetting about him again?)
Peace,
FlyAndDontLookBack