A/N: Okay I planned to update Consumed by Shadows before this and I am halfway through another chapter for that but this chapter just flowed and I couldn't stop writing so have a White Rose chapter instead.
Hope you enjoy.

-Chapter One-

The air is unusually warm for early April almost like a nice welcoming gift for the students either returning from holidays or starting their first year at Kaijou High School. Though there is notably a small nip in the breeze as if telling the students to be wary of the year ahead like Mother Nature knows something bad is going to happen that they themselves do not.

Everything about the school screams pristine perfection to Kisa, from neatly clipped grass and pruned hedges to litter free gutters and even the shimmering metal gates that mark the schools entrance. For someone used to America a place where perfection is forgotten and rubbish litters the sidewalk because a large amount of the population is to lazy to find a trash can. The perfection and cleanliness is comfortably unsettling. Unsettling because it's been well over a year since she'd left Teikou where perfection like this was the norm and comforting because it's far more familiar than America and reminds her of just one of the many reasons she begged her father to let her move back to Japan for high school (and hopefully the rest of her life…however long she has left anyway).

The entrance courtyard is already packed with students despite there still being half an hour before their expected to be in their classrooms ready for the year's learning to begin. Second and third years mull around in groups catching up with old friends they haven't seen over the holidays. Others are yelling at the top of their lungs advertising various clubs and committees for unsuspecting first years to join. It only takes 2 minutes before her ears start ringing thanks to all the noise pollution. Maybe sticking to her guns and arriving 10 minutes before class would have been a better option, actually no then she wouldn't have been able to get close enough to the class allocation board to see where she'd ended up,

Thankfully people appear to have been smart and not hung around the class allocation board leaving the area itself reasonably clear before the rush of students undoubtedly running late on the first day of school. The first year lists are on the right-hand side of the board. There are nearly 500 first year students which makes finding her own name one of the hardest things she's every attempted to do In her life made even harder by the fact her family name starts with an M a letter in the middle of the alphabet.

Eventually after a good 2 minutes of searching she finds her name in class 1C. She briefly scans her class for Ryou's name as well, though Kise isn't sure whether she's hoping he's in her class or hoping he's been placed somewhere else. They've always had a love-hate relationship when it comes to being in the same class at school. The blond despite his public image of being and idiot is actually reasonably smart in his own right but barely anything can rival her own genius. Akashi's competition for top marks at Teikou had been very much welcomed.

It takes her only a moment to find her childhood friends name only about 5 above her own on the class list. A tiny smile flitters across her face for a moment before dissolving into her usual straight face. She leaves the board behind scanning the lines of booths along the edges of the courtyard for that of the Basketball club. It's easy to find set up only a couple of meters away from the allocations board. Kisa makes a beeline for it in the blink of an eye. She promised Momoi that if she returned to Japan for high school she manage that schools basketball team and attempt to out manage the pink-haired girl as best she could. Now all she hopes is the position of first-string manager is wide open for her to take.

Kasamatsu sighed sifting through the meagre number of application forms on the table before him. Hayakawa, Kobori and Moriyama were all out spruiking in an attempt to gain an influx of new members leaving him alone at the booth and currently the job was one of the most boring things the Kaijou's basketball team captain had ever done. He'd gotten all of 10 new applications instead of the 25 to 30 the club usually got and so far none of the prospective team members had looked interesting. Sure, he knew Kise Ryouta of the Generation of Miracles was coming to Kaijou but the brat hadn't even shown his face yet and one good first year didn't make for a good team succession plan.

"I was wondering if the position of team manager is open." The quiet vaguely high pitched female voice leaps Kasamatsu back into reality away from his mental rant about bratty first years that may well be brilliant at basketball but wouldn't make the team if they didn't put application forms in. Before him stands a small teenage girl wearing a uniform that looks just a little bit loose even though given her height and general build it must have been the smallest size available. A single pale green eye regards him critically the other hidden by a curtain of bangs. The rest of her raven coloured hair is tied back in a high ponytail falling just a few inches past her shoulders a white ribbon tied in a bow hiding the elastic from view.

"Y-yes." Kasamatsu's natural awkwardness around the opposite gender comes through at the worst possible timing. He grabs a blank form and slides it across the table to the mysterious girl who's slipped into the chair opposite him without him noticing. "Fill in your name, middle school and why you want to be the team manager." Thankfully his voice steadies when he explains how to fill out the form or he may just have died from embarrassment right then and there. He was a sempai for god's sake and not just any senior but the team's captain as well stuttering in front of a potential manager was practically social suicide…not that he really cared or anything.

The girl nods grabbing the pen offered to her briskly filling in the form with her neat, almost irritatingly small handwriting. She hands him back the sheet of paper after reading it over again and making some kind of satisfied sound. Kasamatsu places the application on a different pile to those of players. It sits there by itself staring back at him as if yelling 'READ ME I HOLD AMAZING POWER.' He ignores it for the moment deciding to read it after the girl is gone.

"There is a preliminary practice this afternoon in the first gym. Come along to it and take some observations on the players. Afterwards the coach and I will interview you to see if you are up to the position." She nods standing wisdom far beyond her years twinkling in the depths of her visible eye. A hand is offered for him to shake.
"Thank you…" She trails off upon the realisation they haven't even introduced themselves to each other.
"Kasamatsu Yukio." He shakes the girls hand gently. A tiny smile creeps its way across her face as their hands release each other's.
"Miyazaki Kisa" Her voice floats back to him on the breeze leaving him wondering not whether she is up for the job of manager, the intelligence shining in her eyes is enough to tell him she'll get the job easily. But just what to expect from her when the season gets into full swing.

Kasamatsu reaches for Kisa's application form subconsciously. He reads it over carefully before slipping into the folder to be given to the coach on his way to class. The content of the application is what surprises him. Not the fact she'd lived in America for the past year, there's something about her accent that gives it away he just can't tell what. The thing that does surprise him is the middle school she went to whilst in Japan. He hopes working with the like of the Generation of Miracles has prepared her for the vicious world of the high school circuit where not even the managers are safe from attacks.

Name: Miyazaki Kisa

Middle School: Japan- Teikou Middle School America – xxxxxx

Position: Manager

Why do you want to be part of the Kaijou High School Basketball Club?/Why would you be a good addition to the team? Because I want to take them to the top via strategy and analysing how other teams play and how we can beat them. I was a manager at Teikou who worked very closely with the Generation of Miracles and I believe that experience will assist me in managing this team. I also understand how basketball works on a practical level as I grew up playing street-ball with my brother.

Kisa slipped into classroom 1C without being noticed taking her usual seat in the second row next to the window. It was a habit she'd had for such a long time she couldn't remember where it started, probably during the 4-and-a-half-year stint in America prior to starting at Teikou. A few other students had found their way into the classroom as well taking seats dotted around the room. Some of them appeared to know each other (probably from going to middle school together) and were animatedly chatting away. Others sat along the edges of the class looking nervous reading books or doodling in notepads. Kisa herself took the option of staring out the window. There was still 10 minutes before class started things would get more interesting then.

It was only 2 minutes later that a gaggle of excited girls began to block the classroom's entrance. Jade coloured eyes briefly flicked to the door observing the large group closely. Many of them had the most recent copy of Zunon Boy clutched to their chests. Kise's naturally pretty face shone out from the front cover light glinting off his ear piercing, golden hazel eyes widened by the tiniest smidgeon of eyeliner on the top lid. She'll never understand why they're so much in love with him. To her he's just the childhood friend she sees very much as a brother more than someone to fangirl over, though she doesn't exactly fangirl over anything.

"Hey look it's Kise-kun!" The group of girls immediately start screaming and shouting and looking dreamy upon that one sentence being spoken. Kisa herself can't even see the blond model yet though admittedly she is reasonably far away from the door and he's probably trapped at the end of the corridor by a pack of raving hormone fuelled teenagers.

"Now, now ladies I need to get to class don't want to leave a bad impression on the first day." His voice is slightly deeper than Kisa remembers but she expected that. Moments later the clump at the door parts like the Red Sea giving the model a clear path into the classroom. Kise enters head held high running a hand through near chin length sunshine blond hair as he does so making a beeline for the back of the class missing Kisa entirely. It's only when he's about to take his seat that he notices the younger teen looking back over her shoulder at him.

Kise picks he stuff back up darting towards the classroom and slipping into the seat next to hers group of raving teenaged females at the door entirely forgotten in favour of catching up with his childhood friend. Jade green meets golden hazel as they regard each other with equally critical gazes. A year and a bit has changed both of them greatly. Kisa's hair is significantly shorter than before her skin a little bit darker although still sickly pale. Kise looks basically the same aside from his facial features sharpening slightly and a reasonably increase in height. She felt small next to him before now she feels barely any bigger than a standard housefly.

"Hey." He smiles softly sunlight illuminating his hair like a halo.
"Hey." She replies softly absentmindedly fiddling with a pen.
"It's been a while Kisacchi." He reaches out ruffling her bangs in a friendly manner a few strands poking out at odd angles afterwards
"Yeah.." A miniscule smile creeps its way across her lips as she runs a hand through her bangs forcing the strands to sit flat again concealing her right eye properly.

"Now I can copy your homework again." He chuckles quietly and she wonders whether he cares about the fact he's very much ruining his own public image in this moment. Talking to a girl in a far more subdued manner than normal. To those looking for a good tabloid scandal there's an easy one right there.
"Who says I'll let you." Green eyes twinkle mischievously as she rests her chin in the palm of a hand.
"You let me do it at Teikou." A whine creeps into the blond's voice yet playfulness shimmers in his eyes.
"Not anymore this is high school idiot. " She chuckles batting at the hand the blond is reaching out to ruffle her bangs again. "Not now the teacher's coming."

Classes themselves pass quickly and without many hiccups aside from the occasional fangirl attack on Kise. There's the usual first day of school activities, introduce yourself with name, age and an interesting fact about yourself. Her response to that one got a few interesting responses being 14 years old rather than 15 or 16 like literally everyone else and her interesting fact being that she'd spent a lot of time growing up in America including the previous year. Kise went overboard on the facts giving three instead of the required one. After him she tuned out not particularly concerned with remembering her classmates. They'd never talk to her anyway it's just the way things seemed to work with Kisa.

The only other vaguely interesting thing to happen was an English pop-quiz. Most of the students looked panicked much to Kisa's surprise. Didn't they get taught English on a regular basis? Or had she just spent so long in America she was now completely fluent in the language. She figured it was the second. Despite this English has never been her best subject and never will be she's far better at Maths and Science her brain being wired for numbers and analysing over grammar, spelling and punctuation. Unsurprisingly she got full marks on the test, which her teacher (she hadn't bothered to learn the young brunette woman's name yet) praised her for greatly. The rest of the class got lectured on something along the lines of holiday study.

"Stop showing off Kisacchi." Kise whispers winking at her from his seat.
"Not my fault you're an idiot." She retorts poking her tongue out. "Besides you're one to talk Model-san. "
"It's a pleasure." He smirks devilishly golden eyes twinkling.
"Shut up." She hisses letting her gaze wonder to a spot somewhere in the distance looking out the window.

"The sports facilities here are as good as at Teikou." Kise remarks standing in the centre of the first gym dressed in a black singlet and orange shorts ready for the preliminary basketball practice to begin. Kisa herself stands away from the new recruits slowly gathering in the centre of the court leaning against the wall pen clutched in her left hand notepad tucked under her right arm. Returning club members mull around the edges setting up training drills and just chatting amongst themselves. The doors the gym have been shut and locked to keep Kise's ridiculously large fan-club from breaking in and ruining the practice.

Kasamatsu stands in the very centre of the gym calling the returning and new club members to order with ease. Three other teens stand just behind him presumably the four of them making up the remains of last-years regulars/first-string reserves that got a reasonable amount of match time. A large rather pudgy man stands with the group of four facing the other club members staring them down with sunken beady eyes. None of them have notices her yet hiding in the shadows at the edge of the gym. Kasamatsu has glanced her way briefly bobbing his head in acknowledgment but that is it.

"Welcome first years and Welcome back second and third years. To those of you who don't know me I am Kasamatsu Yukio, captain of the basketball team." He introduces his three companions as Moriyama, Kobori and Hayakawa. They make up the preliminary group of regulars however the only one of them who is guaranteed a final place on the team is Kasamatsu the others could get kicked off is someone better for their position came along. The large man introduces himself as well. Kisa doesn't bother to even try remembering his name she's hopeless with names anyway and calling the man coach would do just fine.

"The aim of today is to sort all of you into first, second and third string along with creating a group of regulars. Second and third years sort yourselves into groups of which position you would like to try out for. First years please stand in a line introduce yourself with name, middle school and which position you would like to play." The players move into motion immediately second and third years moving to the side creating 5 groups with relative ease already knowing which position their fellow club members preferred. The twenty odd first years just slipped into a sensible line Kise on one end an unremarkable black haired boy that appeared to shake ever so slightly. With anticipation of nerves she couldn't tell which.

Only five of the twenty applicants had any chance of making the first string in her opinion and only two of those five the regulars one of them being Kise. The rest were all either stiff, had no muscle build up appropriate for basketball let along the position they wanted to play (most of them forwards and a couple of shooting guards or centres, only one point guard.) or were simply just unremarkable. Both players Kisa believed had a chance of making the regulars were vying for the same position however and therefore Kise would take it by storm. She did though make a note of the other boy's name. Kiryu Takeru attended Meikou middle school, position: small forward. He would be one to watch.

"Aren't we missing one of the applicants Captain?" Moriyama posed the question rather loudly. Kasamatsu shook his head glancing in her direction for a moment waving her over to the group.
"No, I told our prospective manager to watch and take notes. Coach and I will decide whether she ahs gained the position after an interview." Kasamatsu replies watching Kisa closely as she walks over to the centre of the court. She's half changed out of her school uniform wearing a black top and white short-sleeved hoddie instead of the school shirt and blazer that are uncomfortably large for her small frame.

"Introduce yourself." Is whispered in her ear by Kobori as she stands facing literally everyone. They're all fixing her with scrutinizing gazes as if sizing her up before a fight. It just reminds her of why she hates crowds and large groups of people in general particularly when all of them are basketball players and therefore significantly taller than she is.
"My name is Miyazaki Kisa, I went to Teikou Middle School and I am trying for the position of manager." Her introduction is brief and it hurts her throat to raise her voice enough such that everyone can hear. The coach makes some kind of noise in approval Kasamatsu just nods. She returns to her spot against the wall sitting on the ground notepad rested on her bent knees nibbling on the end of a pen ready to take notes.

Practice runs smoothly and the strings are sorted without much fuss. Creating the final team of regulars is also relatively simple. Kasamatsu, Moriyama, Kobori and Hayakawa all keep their positions simply adding Kise to fill in the role of small forward and the basic team is complete. As she expected only three of the twenty newbies make it to the first string a majority landing in second and few in third and a couple even getting kicked out of the club for not knowing how to play Basketball in the first place and having no talent for it whatsoever.

She just passes the time taking notes, so and so is to this, this guy needs to work on his three pointers. Someone else is more suited for the position of power forward than centre whilst another needs to switch from point guard to small forward. Others need to work on muscular strength while a select small number of third string members need to work on the simple concept of how to catch properly. Even if the last manager position she was in only ended weeks beforehand it reminds her of how much she missed it. Watching them train taking notes, creating training menus to strength the areas that need strengthening and finally formulating match strategies. She can't wait until she gets to go spying on other teams finding out their strengths and weaknesses so they can target the right points. Call her out on copying Momoi all you want she was taught that trick by the pink-haired girl and been told to use it as much as she liked.

The coach's office is small and very cramped. The walls are littered with pictures and shelves filled with trophies from victorious teams of years gone past. A copy of basketball monthly featuring the Generation of Miracles sits open on the oak-wood desk showing the page profiling Kise a younger picture of the blond smiling back up at his hazel eyes wide blond hair brushed away from his eyes. The carpet beneath her feat is smoky black walls painted a quite pretty royal blue the same colour as Kaijou's playing uniform. Most of the furniture is wooden any fabric in the room being either black or white.

Kasamatsu and the coach sit on one side of the desk her application form in front of them while she sits on the other notes from the practice session laid out in front of her. The two males appear to be having some kind of telepathic discussion while she just sits there fidgeting nervously praying to whatever god is willing to listen to her that she gets the position.

"Can I have a look at your notes?" The coach's voice is strangely muffled sounding in an almost irritating fashion yet she pushes the less than pleasant snarky comment rising on her tongue back in favour of passing her notepad across to them.
"Sorry if my writing's a bit messy I haven't had to write in characters for a while." Long sentences feel foreign on her tongue. She's used to giving one word answers and short snarky or sarcastic remarks not pleasantries extend out for pleasant listening.

"It's fine, these note are very detailed and surprisingly accurate Miyazaki-san you are incredibly observant." The coach remarks flicking through the near 10 pages of notes she'd taken through the one-and-a-half-hour session.
"Thank you." Kisa replies hesitantly not used to taking compliments. "And I prefer being called Kisa, I don't really respond to Miyazaki." The coach and Kasamatsu look at each other nodding before turning back to her.

"The notes you take are impressive and it appears you have a significant amount of experience in managing high level teams if you were the Generation of Miracles assistant manager at Teikou." Kasamatsu reaches a hand across the desk for her to shake and it's at that moment she can feel a smile trying to break its way across her features. The coach is smiling like a cat who just got the cream pleased with finding one of the best managers he's ever come across.

"Welcome to the team Miyazaki Kisa." They shake hands and the smile really does light up her features then. She can keep the promise the made to Momoi, fight against her old best friend to see who can out manage the other. Life won't be boring she'll get notices for more than just being the genius girl that makes an enigma of herself.

"Thank you coach, Kasamatsu-sempai." With that the meeting is over and they all part their separate ways to head home. Everything she had been relying on happening has happened. Now all she can do is watch and wait for the first steps to be made. The high school basketball circuit doesn't just have the Generation of Miracles to worry about but a couple of incredibly good managers as well. She just hopes Momoi is ready to accept her challenge.

A/N: please favourite, follow and review if you enjoyed hope you liked the long chapter this fic is looking at having a lot of them. I will endeavour to update as often as possible however there are no guarantees because of school etc. you know the gig.

Thanks for reading
-Angel