This was supposed to be a one-shot, an experiment of sorts since this is my first time to write a fan fic… But I got such amazing feedback from you guys, I thought I'd continue the story. This story takes place in the next Inter-High where Shutoku tries to get over their lost against Rakuzan by claiming back their crown. I swear Otsubo, Miyaji, and Kimura should have already graduated by the time this takes place but there seems to be no people to take up their positions so let's pretend they're still around. I hope you enjoy this, too.

"Takao!" A strong arm suddenly yanked him, throwing both of them off-balance, and he felt himself falling on Midorima before hearing a loud crash. The basketball board fell and had his partner not yanked him back in time, he would be a bloody mess right now—quite literally. He grimaced at the thought.

Otsubo jogged to where he and Midorima are both lying. "Is anyone hurt?"

Takao quickly picked himself up and grinned. "Still in one-piece, Captain!" he answered brightly. Midorima then spoke from behind him and the blood drained from the raven-haired player's face.

"Captain, I might have broken my right arm."

Otsubo stared at their ace for several seconds before barking out orders.

He was standing on the three-point line when he noticed the basketball board directly above Takao. Before he could even warn their Point Guard, the screws holding the board gave in. He dashed to Takao's position and yanked him, the weight of them both throwing him off his feet, bringing Takao with him, prompting him to prop his right elbow to break the fall and protect his head. Apparently, his arm couldn't handle their combined weights.

"No broken bones. You have dislocated your elbow a bit but you should be fine now." The orthopedic doctor put down the X-ray of Midorima's right elbow and eyed the tourniquet.

"When can I remove this?" the green-haired boy calmly asked.

"Let's see... Three days from now..." The doctor looked up before continuing. "Friday."

Miyaji, Otsubo, and Takao all sighed in relief. Otsubo spoke first. "And when can he start playing basketball again, sensei?"

"He could go back to playing in two weeks." The doctor smiled.

Their hearts sank. They have the semi-final qualification match for the Inter-High on Monday.

"Shin-chan, I'm sorry," Takao half-whispered, stopping the rear car in front of Midorima's house. Otsubo let them off early since everyone except Kimura seems to be too shaken to practice. Not having their ace shouldn't be a problem, really—Shutoku is one of the Kings after all, at least until their lost to Rakuzan—but they're going against Kirisaki Daiichi on Monday and, seriously, they need their strongest players on court.

Midorima slung his bag over his left shoulder and jumped off the rickshaw in one fluid motion. Takao has always found their ace graceful—injured or not.

"It was an accident. I was careless." The green-haired boy fished out his keys and opened the door then turned back to Takao. "I'm in no mood to hold the door open for more than five seconds, Takao." Takao understood and dashed to the door before Midorima could slam it at his face.

"Takao, could you pour the tea?" Takao has never really been fond of tea but hanging around their ace, he eventually developed a taste for it.

"Eh? Shin-chan's tired of being the wife? Alright then, you relax, honey, and I will pour us some tea." The raven-haired boy let out a laugh—then a yelp when Midorima hit him with the wooden spatula lying on the kitchen counter.

"Stop messing around, Takao. And I can't pour it with one hand, you moron. Otherwise, I wouldn't ask you to do it."

Takao rubbed the back of his head where Midorima hit him and apologized profusely, still calling his partner "honey", earning icy glares from their green-haired player. Deep inside, he wants to kick himself.

If we win this match, we'll make it to the Top Four and go against Kaijo.

Midorima is not playing but their captain still wanted him on the bench, not that their ace needed convincing. He sat there, torniquet now removed, with Miyaji sitting to his left and Takao to his right, both players calling him a "cute little bunny". Otsubo yelled at the two and ordered them to get on the court at once or he'd kill them both right after the match. The two immediately complied. Midorima sighed and watched as Shutoku took the ball and scored the first basket.

With Makoto Hanamiya, one of the Uncrowned Generals, on Kirisaki Daiichi, the match is in no way an easy one. But with Takao's Hawk Eyes and Otsubo's intimidating build, they owned the first quarter, 21-8. The problem, however, started in the second quarter.

Takao could see Midorima with his Hawk Eyes and immediately longed to have him on court. He was fouled three times already and he is starting to feel the pressure. Makoto has marked him and is intent on throwing him out. Tch. What a dirty player. He tried to concentrate on the game again.

He slipped past the one guarding him and went for a two-pointer—that's when he saw Makoto charging towards him. Then everything was a blur.

Everything transpired too fast, Midorima didn't even see properly what happened. He knew of Kirisaki Daiichi's dirty tactics… But to go so far as to take a foul… He clenched his fist and stood up.

Takao hit his head and is now bleeding. What the hell is happening to all these sophomores? Otsubo shook his head and watched as the nurse bandaged Takao's wound. I could let Midorima play but… Shutoku's captain sighed. He dreads the situation already.

"Captain, I'd still play," Takao said, bandaged forehead and all.

"No," he answered firmly. He has to come up with a decision fast.

Midorima has already changed into his uniform when Otsubo and Takao got back from the clinic. Otsubo sighed in relief, thank heavens their coach has already made the decision, but Takao has obviously not considered the idea and was clearly shocked.

"Shin-chan! You're playing?" the Point Guard asked in disbelief.

"Just shut up, Takao, and rest."

Otsubo led their Point Guard to the bench then turned to Midorima. "What about your elbow?"

Their coach answered the question. "I'm letting him play on the condition that he will only use his left hand."

"A one-handed long-range shot?" It was Otsubo's turn to gape at the absurdity of the idea.

Everyone was clearly shocked when Midorima scored his first three points. He stood outside the three-point line, long fingers curved around the ball, his right arm resting at his side, and made the shot. The ball went in, sending the crowd into frenzy.

"You gotta be kiddin' me! A one-handed long-range shot? He tryin' to intimidate the opponent or something?" Kagami is on the edge of his seat, refusing to believe his eyes.

"Midorima-kun wouldn't do something so unnecessary," Kuroko spoke quietly, apparently unfazed.

"His right elbow… He's trying not to damage it any further," Coach Aida muttered, half to Kagami, half to herself.

"He has an injury? Then why is he even playing?" Kagami asked loudly.

"What an idiot!" their female coach sighed. Apparently, Kagami's question is too stupid to even answer.

"Kagami-kun, if someone deliberately hurt me on court, what will you do?" Kuroko asked.

"Triple their score, of course!"

"That's what Midorima-kun is planning to do."

Takao has never seen his partner do anything so reckless… And breath-taking. Sure, Midorima is a monster on court but he just exceeded himself. A long-range shot requires strength and pin-point accuracy, to do it with one hand requires so much more.

Then it hit him.

Makoto is marking Midorima. Crushing him would be like crushing Kiyoshi, no, even better. He had to smile at the plan forming in his head.

Midorima glanced at the score board: 70-62. Tch. More. Kirisaki Daiichi is nothing to laugh at, especially with him not able to use his other hand. Defense is tight and everyone in Shutoku is having a hard time slipping through. If Takao is here, all I have to do is wait for the ball and make the shot from where I am standing.

The green-haired Shooting Guard inhaled deeply and let out a sigh. There's still the problem with his left hand—he can't receive passes and make shots for much longer.

"Coach, sub me in!" Takao practically yelled.

"You're injured, Takao-kun! You were told to rest."

Takao pointed a shaking finger at Midorima. "If he keeps on receiving passes and making shots like that, he will injure his wrist."

Shutoku's coach watched in silence as Midorima made a shot from the three-point line, the ball missing the basket, the audience gasping and shouting as Kirisaki Daiichi got the ball and launched into their offensive.

The man sighed. "Alright. You're going in."

The crowd cheered upon seeing Shutoku's formidable line-up. Otsubo, Kimura, and Miyaji have all agreed to support the second-years. After all, even with injuries, nothing changes the fact that Midorima and Takao are Shutoku's light and shadow.

Midorima's miss had been the moment Kirisaki Daiichi was waiting for. They immediately launched into their offensive and gained the lead, 92-82, in the third quarter. But with Midorima and Takao both on court, Shutoku was able to close in the difference. Kirisaki Daiichi is not letting up, but the King of the East is intent on taking the lead.

After nine points, Shutoku's strategy was already clear to everyone: the seniors get the ball and give it to Takao, Takao passes to Midorima, and Midorima makes the shot. Takao glanced at Midorima, still guarded by Makoto. Earlier, he insisted that he be the only one to pass to Midorima. After all, he's the only one in the team who could slip past his guards and get close enough to their Shooting Guard to make a pass that wouldn't put too much strain on their ace's wrist. And I'm the one who practiced with Shin-chan everyday.

Miyaji gave him the ball and he slipped through the two players guarding him, passing as gently as possible to Midorima, their ace scoring another three points. Shutoku took back the lead, 94-92.

Last ten seconds.

A three-pointer is Kirisaki Daiichi's one last chance to win, so when Midorima jumped to make the shot, Makoto immediately jumped to stop him. Without his right hand to support the ball, it'd be easy to steal the ball and break his wrist.

But just as Makoto was about to tap the ball, Midorima passed the ball to his right. He almost laughed. "There's no one there."

Midorima smiled at him, a confident smile. "Takao will be there." Makoto watched in horror as Takao slipped through two guards, caught the ball, and scored a three-pointer.

The King is back.

Takao stopped in front of Midorima's house. With both of them injured, they had to leave the rickshaw at school and walk home—in total silence. Takao decided to speak first.

"Shin-chan, I'm sorry."

Midorima opened the door and glared at him. "What for this time, Takao?"

Takao swallowed the lump in his throat. He's been feeling guilty since last week. And then there was the game earlier. "I-if I had not been injured, you wouldn't have played… And you wouldn't have strained your wrist so much." They brought Midorima to the clinic after the game and their ace was advised not to play basketball, at all, until next week—or he would damage his wrist further. He couldn't even bear to think of what would have happened if Midorima played longer in their match against Kirisaki Daiichi.

Midorima placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "If I had been there from the very beginning, you wouldn't have gotten injured." Takao felt a familiar pain shot through his chest, and all of a sudden, he felt like crying.

Midorima left Takao in his room and made some tea. It's very much like Takao to blame himself for his injuries and somehow he finds it cute. Except that Takao actually cried over it. The last time he saw Takao cry was after their game against Rakuzan and he wasn't looking forward to seeing his partner cry again. It breaks his heart every time.

Takao is not sure when he first noticed it, but somehow he wasn't at all surprised. Midorima is a serious person, almost too serious, and he's often very cold to people, but deep inside, their ace is actually very gentle and caring. It still amazes him sometimes that their ace is actually letting him stick around and see his gentler side. A familiar pain gripped him and he clutched at his chest to keep it from exploding and breaking him apart.

Their Point Guard had already fallen asleep on his bed when Midorima came back with their tea. Takao looked emotionally and physically spent, so he let him sleep and made himself dinner. He then called Takao's mother to inform him that Takao had fallen asleep at his house and explained to her what happened during the game. He hanged up after convincing her that her son's injury is nothing serious and that his parents (who were out of town) wouldn't really mind having Takao over. He yawned and glanced at his watch. It's getting really late and he's very tired from the game. He went back to his room and laid a futon on the floor.

"Shin-chan! Shin-chan!"

He hasn't lied on the futon for long when he heard Takao calling his name in panic. He immediately stood up and sat on the bed. "What is it, Takao?"

"Shin-chan! I-I can't see anything," the smaller boy stammered. He reached for the bedside table and flicked a switch. The room lit up. Takao looks like he was about to cry.

"Eh?!" Takao is blushing furiously. "I thought I had gone blind." Midorima blinked at him and laughed.

He knew that he shouldn't be staring at Midorima but he couldn't help it. Their green-haired ace would smile occasionally when they're together, during games, after practice—but he never laughed… Until now. He doesn't even mind that Midorima is laughing at him. Minor technicality, who cares? The thing is their ace is laughing, his Shin-chan is laughing, and he knew at once that he wants to see Midorima laugh again, hear his golden laughter, make him laugh. He loves him now more than ever, if that's even possible.

"Shin-chan… I like you. No, I love you," he said as quietly as possible, wanting to say it but not wanting his partner to hear, afraid of what might happen. Or what might no longer happen. Midorima stopped laughing and stared at him intently.

"What?"

Midorima heard him the first time but he couldn't believe his ears. He hates to admit it to himself, or to anyone, but he's fond of his partner. Takao would always complain about his study habits, his belief on horoscopes, his seriousness, but he never leaves. He's just there, complaining and teasing and supporting him—chasing him around like a shadow. Takao is important to him but he had never been so close to anyone that he's not even sure what he feels. He's not even sure if he wants to know.

The silence is killing him and judging from Midorima's expression, he's pretty sure that he would just be rejected. How dumb of me, blurting it out just like that. He stood up to leave.

"I'm sorry, Shin-chan. I was just kidding. I'm going." He tried to say it as cheerily as possible and let out a laugh. If he doesn't leave soon, he'd fall apart. And he doesn't need Midorima to see that.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Takao?" Midorima growled and Takao froze where he is standing. He knew it would never work between them. It's his fault, really, falling in love with another guy, worse, with his partner. He doesn't really blame Midorima for getting so worked up about it. He had shaken up his life and messed up his routine since the day they became teammates. He pushed his luck too hard today. He couldn't keep the tears from flowing now.

"I… I just had to say it, Shin-chan. Y-you don't even have to do anything about it. J-just… Just let me still be your partner." He's falling apart now but somehow it doesn't even matter anymore. As long as he could still be Midorima's shadow, his feelings don't matter.

Takao is crying again and it's probably his fault. He went to where Takao is standing to say something nice but instead he smacked him on the head. Takao immediately stopped crying and stared at him blankly, apparently too shocked at the sudden act of violence to say anything or continue crying. "Don't joke around with things like that."

"I'm sorry, Shin-chan… But I really love you."

"Then don't apologize!" he practically yelled. Why can't Takao be serious for once in his life?

"Then… Then you like me, too?"

Midorima glared at him and for a moment he thought he was going to break his neck. But, instead, their ace tousled his hair and spoke softly. "Why are you wasting time stating and inquiring about the obvious?" The taller guy bent down to kiss him—a quick gentle kiss, like fairy wings brushing against his lips.

"So we're a couple starting today, Shin-chan?" he asked when the kiss ended.

Midorima turned his back to him, their ace's ears turning red and answered: "Maybe. It's not like I love you or anything."

"That's not fair, Shin-chan," he complained but Midorima was no longer even listening. Shin-chan is a tsundere, minor technicality.