SailorStar9: Anyway, Chapter 17 goes up. This is Chapter 18. To all my non-reviewing readers, I love you all! Will love you more if you review! *hugs all round!*

Disclaimers: I own nothing, except for the plot bunny and the pairing.

Chapter 18: I've Been Waiting For This

"They've already started." Momoi panted, dashing into the stadium through an exit. "Aomine's such an idiot. He didn't even come."

"Oh?" Kise blinked. "Momoicchi. Are you here to watch Kurokocchi and Midorimacchi's game?"

"Ki-chan." Momoi remarked.

"Could you stop calling me that?" Kise pleaded.

"But you're Ki-chan." Momoi pointed out. "Are you alone?"

"Yeah." Kise nodded. "I even invited my team, but they all turned me down. It's disheartening."

"And that's something you should say, Ryouta?" Ami teased.

"Ami-nee-chan!" Momoi beamed.

"I know." Kise remarked. "Why don't we watch together? It's a little weird standing with someone who beat us, but we're both going to the Winter Cup. How about a temporary truce?"

"Sure." Momoi relented. "Anyway, how's the game going?"

"It's getting pretty interesting." Kise grinned.

"They're double-teaming Midorin?" Momoi gasped, seeing Kiyoshi and Kagami defend against Midorima.

"They're not letting Midorimacchi take any shots." Kise explained.

"They're fast!" Momoi exclaimed, Seirin restarting the game with their trademark run-and-gun style.

"What a quick attack!" even Kise was shocked.

It looks different, but they're playing just like us. Momoi mused.

"Looks like those guys have reverted." Ami chuckled. "Seirin's style is offensive team basketball." She explained to the two younger teens. "Kiyoshi and Junpei, the two stars of the inside and outside and scoring with the speed and passing of all five players, it's the run-and-gun speed style basketball. It's been awhile since I last saw this game style; high-paced point games were always our specialty back during our junior high school days."

"Wow, they're really excited." Momoi gaped, the buzzer going off to signal the end of the first half.

"Yeah." Kise agreed.

"Ki-chan how do you think the second half will go?" Momoi asked.

"Huh?" Kise blinked. "I have no idea."

You really are useless. Momoi wondered.

"If you have nothing useful to say, then don't say anything!" Ami snapped, slapping the blond upside the head with a paper fan.

"Ow…." Kise whined. "The second half will definitely be a point war." He composed himself. "Seirin will be at a disadvantage, though. Seirin has no way to stop Shutoku, but it's not as though Shutoku can't stop Seirin. Seirin will be the first to fall. Well, that's only true without Kurokocchi. He won't be able to keep his mouth shut. The phantom sixth man of the Generation of Miracles is the real deal."

"Midorin's changed, hasn't he?" Momoi stated.

"Really?" Kise blinked.

"So have you, Ryouta." Ami nodded.

"What?" Kise was confused. "How so? Are you sure he hasn't changed?" he sighed. "I wonder what it is. Since playing him, I've stopped thinking of relying on others as weakness. It's something you can' do without strength."

SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.