Another chapter!
i love athrun: Arigatō! Oh, I see. Is it a good anime? I've never seen it.
imafangirlforever: Yosh! Thank you so much! You're too kind, honestly. And, hopefully, I'll be able to finish this story.
Monkey D. Writer: Haha! I think that's one of the funniest comments I've read so far! I was originally going to make this a DaikixOC story, but now, I'm not so sure; there's too many guys in this anime (ahem, not that I'm complaining or anything...) I think I'll have to add Hetalia to my never ending list of anime then...
Happy readings~
The referee ends the game with a blast of his whistle. Score: 81-50, Teikō. The players leave the court to eat lunch outside. The regular members sit together in the shade of a leafy tree.
"Eh? Where's mine?" Aomine questions as Shirogane dishes out her usual bento boxes. Even Kuroko has one of his own- light blue with unicorns prancing across.
"Ah, Satsuki-chan told me to give this to you!" the captain beams, handing the tanned player a pink bento box. "She told me she made it herself. How nice of her!"
Upon hearing these words, Aomine stiffens. His expression comically drops. What is she thinking?! Satsuki can't cook for her life!
"Shirogane... " Sanada beckons her over. Shirogane places her things next to Midorima before running after the coach.
"Enjoy your lunches, minna!" she waves to the members before disappearing from sight. Aomine groans.
He cautiously pops open the bento, revealing an unidentifiable glob of blackened mush inside. The stench is repulsive, causing Aomine to jerk away in disgust.
"Mine-chin, what's that?" Murasakibara asks through a mouthful of food.
Aomine facepalms, heavy depression waves weighing his head down. "My bento... made by Satsuki..." he moans in despair.
"Huh, that's cool." the purple-haired boy replies, stabbing his tempura with his chopsticks in an unsightly manner.
"You want it?" the blue-haired player offers hopefully.
"It's gross, so no thanks."
"I'm going to head over to the convenience store." Aomine announces after dumping his lunch in the nearest trash can.
"Don't take too long." Midorima remarks, eating from the bento Shirogane made for him. The food inside is aesthetically pleasing with a delicious smell mouth watering from it. The tanned boy eyes it longingly before continuing.
"Cheer up, Tetsu. There's still one more match!" he ruffles the smaller boy's hair affectionately. "You can show them next time."
"Aomine-kun... You're right... I'll do my best."
Aomine heads towards the convenience store, stomach protesting with hunger. Rounding the corner, he spots a familiar white-haired captain discussing something with the coach. Eh? What're they talking about? He creeps closer, straining to eavesdrop on their conversation.
"There won't be another chance. I saw all I needed to see in the last match. As I thought, he's no good. Demote him immediately." Sanada instructs, his expression hard.
"Nani...?" Aomine's eyes widen. "Oi... Chotto matte!" He springs forward, interrupting their conversation. "We've got the afternoon match left! One more match... Could you observe him for just one more match?!"
"Daiki...?" Shirogane gasps at his sudden appearance.
"Huh?" Murasakibara notices something lying on the ground. He picks it up with a brow raised. "Isn't this Mine-chin's wallet?"
"What'd he even go to do anyway?" Midorima deadpans.
"Eto... Shall I bring it to him?" Kuroko stands up.
"Hm? Okay, I'll leave it to you." the giant lazily tosses Kuroko the wallet.
"Ah...!" Kuroko fumbles with it a bit before finally catching it. "Please don't throw it at me suddenly."
"Eh? But isn't it your fault for being so slow?"
Kuroko traces Aomine's steps and arrives at an unexpected scene.
"Iie. There's no value in observing him any longer. I'm demoting him." Sanada affirms. Kuroko's heart stops, his breath catches in his throat.
"But that's-!" Aomine protests. Neither of them notice the pale blue-haired boy's presence.
"This conversation is over. Be sure to rest yourself properly for the second match." The coach turns to leave.
"Coach! Then... do the same to me! If it doesn't work out in the next match either, let me be demoted, too! So. please try using him a second time!" the tanned player shouts.
"Daiki..." Shirogane strides towards Aomine. Her sympathetic expression immediately changes. "Are you stupid? How does that even work?!" She pulls on his cheeks harshly, stretching out his face. "It doesn't benefit the team if you leave, too. If you want to strike a bargain, you should threaten to leave instead."
"Itai!"
"... Do you have any reason for this confidence in him?" Sanada asks, back still faced towards the two.
"Not really..." he admits.
"Eh?" Shirogane sweatdrops.
"However, there will be a day when that guy will come and save us. I don't really know why, but that's the feeling I have!"
"... Fine. I'll at least take another look at him in the afternoon. However, I'll be holding you to your promise. If he should fail, I'll have you demoted with him." Sanada warns before leaving. Shirogane follows closely behind, staring at the coach's back. She sighs. And then you'll promote him right back. You can't afford to lose a player like Daiki. Can you, Sanada-sensei? Not with my condition getting worse...
"Ah, crap, it's already this late?" He glances up at the clock mounted on the building. "If I don't hurry, I'll be out of time to eat!" Aomine reaches a hand into his pocket, only to find it empty, devoid of any money. "Huh?! My wallet is gone! Shit... Did I drop it? Or did I leave it behind?" He begins to panic.
"Here."
"Whoa! Thanks for bringing it ov- Wah! Tetsu?! You scared me!"
"..."
"Tetsu?"
"... Aomine-kun. Why did you have to say something like that?"
"...! You overheard?" He averts his gaze in slight embarrassment. "Well, it just isn't fair, ya know? If a guy like Tetsu can't seize his chance, then no one should. I'm sure opportunities present themselves to everyone- hardworking guys, guys who don't do anything at all, and whatever. But, in the end, I think the ones who should be able to seize those opportunities are the hardworking guys."
"Even so, I can't let Aomine-kun be demoted, too."
"What're you saying? All ya gotta do is prove yourself in the next match, right? It's really simple! Ya still got a chance! You have the strength to grasp it, you can do it!" He holds out a fist with a reassuring smile.
Kuroko swallows back the overwhelming emotions and holds out his fist to bump with Aomine's. "Hai!"
"Huh? Come to think of it, where's hime gone?" Aomine inquires. The second match is just about to begin and all of the Teiko regulars are on the bench preparing.
"Oh, she should be back soon." a second year says.
"Eh?"
"Hey! I've brought him!" Shirogane shuffles over to her teammates. A third year trailing behind her drags something heavy along. The tall boy holds the thing up, presenting it to the others. "Go on, say hello!"
"Yo..." Haizaki greets weakly.
"Haiza- What happened to you face?!"
The second year's face is bruised and scratched almost beyond recognition. His eyes are swollen and his lip is cut. A constant stream of blood trickles from his nose. Everyone turns to look at the burly third year supporting him.
"Wasn't me! It was all hime's doing. You should've seen it! It was scary!" the tall boy blubbers, wide eyed.
"Someone from the second string found him playing at a game center. It was close by so I went out to meet him. He looked perfectly healthy so I brought him back!" The girl smiles angelically, threading an arm through Haizaki's as if they are the best of friends.
Everyone shudders. But he looks like he's on the verge of death now...
"Ah... I brought his uniform."
"Arigato, senpai. Go get him dressed."
"Hai." shuffle, shuffle
"The starting members will be: Akashi, Midorima, Murasakibara, Haizaki, and Aomine. Get out there!" He turns to address the light blue-haired first year. "And Kuroko... I'll have you play in the second half, understood?"
"Hai." Kuroko adopts a look of pure determination.
The five players jog onto the court and start their game with Haranishi. Their play is slow and weary, missing shots when they could've easily gotten them in.
"In the end, it comes down to stamina. Now that it's the second match, their play is deteriorating." Shirogane sighs. "But what's wrong with Haizaki? He's sluggish even though it's his first match."
"Eh... Isn't that because hime punished him?"
"..."
The first half ends with Teikō two points behind Haranishi. The five of them slump off the courts, sweating profusely. Their muscles scream in protest and they fight to move their legs and arms properly.
"Hey, minna, step it up! If we lose, you know the consequences, ne?" the captain warns. The players shiver in fear.
"In the second half, Kuroko will take Haizaki's place. Apart from that, I don't have any other special instructions. I'll leave it to your discretion." Sanada amends.
"I'm glad you're ready to go, Kuroko-kun. But you'll fail if you do the same thing as you did in the first match..." Akashi's voice fades away as he and Kuroko move onto the court. Shirogane grins satisfactorily, leaning back on the bench with her arms crossed over her chest.
"He's coming along nicely, isn't he?" she remarks.
Sanada shoots her a sidelong glance. "Akashi? Hm... I guess."
"Don't worry, I'll make sure he's ready when it's time."
After Kuroko is subbed in, the game immediately picks up. Teikō immediately begins to make baskets, stocking up points much more easily. With this new addition, Teikō wraps up the game nicely with another win.
The other teams can only wonder about the phantom sixth player and his awesome power.
"The captain is kind of late today, isn't she?" one of the reserve players observes. He casually passes the ball to his friend who half-heartedly dunks it in.
"Mm... Wonder why?"
Just as these words leave his mouth, the door slams open with a cheery white-haired girl skipping in. Her lips stretch into a broad grin, eyes forming crescents.
"Good news!" she beams, waving her arms crazily over her head. "It looks like you've made it, Tetsuya! Congratulations!"
"Eh? Me...?" Kuroko echoes, pointing to himself tentatively as if there was another Tetsuya in the room.
"Nice!" Aomine laughs raucously, slapping his friend harshly on the back. The shorter boy tips forward under the force, catching himself with a stumble.
"Welcome to the team." Akashi smiles pleasantly. Kuroko nods his head, still unable to wrap his head around the fact that he had made it into the first-string.
"I knew you could do it, Testuya!" Shirogane grabs the pale boy's hands and spins him in a circle.
"Uh... hime..." Aomine holds out a hand worriedly. Kuroko's eyes had begun to swirl from the rapid pace they were spinning in. Shirogane releases his hands, letting the poor boy crash into Aomine.
"But... why?" Kuroko manages to get out once regaining his balance. "I played terribly in the first quarter."
"You were able to show your skills later, and as a result, even the coach had nothing to say!" the captain explains, clasping her hands together. "Except, you won't be a regular just yet. You'll probably spend most of your time on the bench. But you're making progress, which is great!"
He blinks, still not able to comprehend the situation. It was all too good to be true. I was pretty sure I had screwed the whole thing up... right?
"Hn, what a surprise." Midorima mutters, staring intensely at the new player. Murasakibara remains impassive, consuming his never ending supply of snacks.
"Look at the time! We have to start practice!" Shirogane gasps, glancing at the clock hanging on the lefthand wall. "We're going to work on the three-man weave, today!"
The players group into teams of three, the first years migrating towards one another. Kuroko is thrown back into the familiarity of the technique, recalling the time when he had first met the captain.
"Oi, Tetsuya! You'll be with Shintarō and Atsushi for now." the white-haired girl instructs briskly. The other two boys are less than pleased at the arrangement. Midorima adjusts his glasses with a frown, but nonetheless followers his captain's orders.
Akashi and Shirogane stand side by side, watching Kuroko's progress with an extra attentive eye. Kuroko goes for a layup, one of the most basic skills in basketball, and misses it. The orange orb bounces off the rim and out of bounds.
"Just because you made it in doesn't mean it's alright to play poorly." Akashi deadpans. Midorima and Murasakibara sweatdrop with similar dumbfounded expressions.
The purple-haired giant grips the smallest boy of the three tightly with one hand. An anger vein makes its appearance. "Kuro-chin, are you taking this seriously?" he demands lowly, increasing his pressure on the boy's head.
"That hurts."
"We can't finish practicing the three-man weave because of you...!" Midorima accuses with a flash of irritation in his green eyes. The other players make snide comments as well, grumbling about the newcomer.
"Despite what people say, he's starting to be able to keep up with practices." Shirogane notes.
"Hai... Although, he still just barely makes the bare minimum." Akashi replies critically.
"The school year is almost over." Midorima comments, admiring the blossoming sakura trees that line the schoolyard.
"I know, time sure does fly by quickly!" Shirogane sighs nostalgically. "I hope next year won't be too different."
"Oh?" Akashi hums.
"This year was pretty fun, wasn't it? It wasn't too busy either. Maybe things will continue smoothly in the future."
"We can only leave it up to fate to decide."
"..."
deadpan "Really, Shintarō?"