SailorStar9: You ladies wanted this chapter, so here goes. This is Chapter 14 of this fic.
Disclaimers: I own nothing, except for the plot bunny and the pairing.
Chapter 14: Our Basketball
"Touou hasn't changed their line-up." Hyuuga remarked, the buzzer went off, signalling the start of the fourth quarter.
"Anyone would lose their edge with four fouls." Izaki pointed out. "Are they really going to be okay?"
"There it is." Koganei gaped when Aomine scored a basket with his formless shot.
"They scored already." Tsuchida added.
"That was the exact same shot." Kagami stared, Kise scoring a basket using the same shot.
"You know…" Ami started, Aomine and Kise ducking it out on court, shot-by-shot. "Somehow I just know it'll boil down to this. Tetsuya," she glanced over at her cousin. "Remind me again why I ended up adopting those gakis?"
"Spur of the moment?" Kuroko ventured.
"Thank you." Ami nodded.
"Not your best decision, huh?" Hyuuga winced sympathetically.
"Don't remind me." Ami bemoaned.
"That is tough." Riko noted, seeing the players breathing hard.
"I'm exhausted." Koganei agreed.
"Not you!" Riko snapped. "I've never seen such a static flow in a game before. The inside players must really be worn down mentally."
"It's especially tough on Kaijo." Hyuuga agreed. "They've been stuck eight to ten points behind forever, but even with the clock ticking, they still haven't given up. The balance is broken." He gaped, Kise scooping up the ball when Sakurai missed the pass.
"This is Kaijo's chance." Izaki agreed.
"One minute left." Kiyoshi remarked, as the clock ticked down. "This is where the game will be decided. If they make this shot, they'll only be two three behind. It'll boost the team's morale. If they miss, they'll have reached their time limit. In others words, practically speaking, it's their last chance."
Right or left? Kagami wondered as Kise's charge was blocked off by Aomine.
"A formless shot?" Koganei exclaimed, seeing Kise jump up.
"No," Ami corrected, seeing Kise pull his arm down. "It's a pass."
"He stopped the shot?" Koganei was shocked when Aomine slapped the ball away before it made its way to Kasamatsu.
"They lost their only chance." Kiyoshi concluded.
"Ryouta…" Ami breathed, wide-eyed when Kise tried to get to his feet after the buzzer went off signalling the end of the match. Could it be… he's already feeling the backlash on his legs. I warned him that copying the Generation of Miracles will put an exceptional burden on his body!
It's been reaffirmed. Kagami mused as the court attendants started to clear the court. This is the Generation of Miracles.
We'll play against these guys again this winter. Izaki frowned.
Can we beat them? Tsuchida wondered.
No, we will win. Hyuuga swore.
That said, the difference between us is still too great. Kiyoshi admitted. We'll have to become stronger.
"We can't keep brooding forever." Riko reminded, standing up. "Let's go home and start practicing straight away."
"What?" Kagami blinked. "We're leaving? Aren't there more guys from the Generation of Miracles playing at this tournament?"
"I wish we could watch until the end." Riko replied.
"We can find a hotel and…" Kagami suggested.
"A hotel, huh?" Hyuuga cut in. "Hey, Kagami. Where do you have the money for that? Are you a rich kid? Are you actually some rich kid? You did say you live by yourself. Besides, if we extend our trop too much, the coach's dad will kill us!"
"Do I want to know what happened?" Ami blinked as she saw Hyuuga rant at Kagami. "Junpei's spilt personality seems to have… splintered even more."
"Trust me, Sprite." Izaki sighed. "Seriously, you don't want to know."
"Winter will be here before you know it!" Hyuuga declared, breaking off his rant. "We'll go home and practice!"
"Things actually have gotten worse since I left, hasn't it?" Ami shook her head.
SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.