Title: Saori's Basketball
Posted: 05/09/13
Rating: T
Summary: "That's all you'll be if you keep playing." Seijuro said, eyes cold and empty as he stared at Saori's frozen figure. "You won't be able to jump. You won't be able to walk. You won't be able to breathe." He continued, her eyes set only on the ball that her hand had jerked away. "Just quit before you think you'll get anywhere. You won't."
Disclaimer: I own what I own, nothing more, nothing less.
© 2013, Reignstein, The plot of this story and the belong to me. Any similarities that might occur are purely coincidental and I apologize in advance if such an occurrence ever does happen.
VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE: I have re-written the previous chapters and would like to advise you to read those first. I did major changes in the first chapter which is important for you to understand the story. So please read that first before heading over to this chapter. Thank you.
CHAPTER TWO
"TURMOIL"
WHAT IS HAPPENING: TRY OUTS FOR THE GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM
WHERE WILL IT BE: GYMNASIUM B, HALF COURT A
WHEN WILL IT BE: FRIDAY (MAY 4TH), AFTER SCHOOL (17:00)
WHO TO LOOK FOR: HIMURO MARA, TEAM CAPTAIN
Blue eyes trailed across to piece of paper with curiosity. She was tempted to rip off a yellow paper from the bottom of the main notice sheet—it was a small piece paper that provided you with the necessary information so that you needn't return to the notice board to check if you remembered anything correctly—but the blond hesitated, unsure of what to do. Wasn't she being too hasty? She didn't even consult her father, not even Toki.
When she was younger, Saori used to go to Basketball Games all the time. Her mother, Rina, would always have tickets—given to her by people she knew. She remembered blue eyes looking at her and Minami, excitedly and happily asking if they would want to watch with her. The younger rosette would always say no, finding no interest in sports, but Saori would always readily agree. It was the one thing she shared with her mother that both Toki and Minami didn't. It was, as cheesy as it sounded, their thing together as mother and daughter.
"You'll love it Saori!" Rina would always say as she handed the tickets to the collector. Saori always noticed how she got this glow in their eyes that lit her entire her face up. It was a sign that they were about to do something that Rina considered truly enjoyable. "Especially the last quarter! It's the best to watch, because everyone is at their best!" The blonde would always nod, and the ticket collector would always smile at her as they passed by, tipping his hat to her in greeting. Rina would tell her to wave, and so Saori always did.
The blue eyed thirteen-year-old remembered clearly the first game that her mother had taken her to. It was a Super League game between Toyota Alvark and the Aisin Seahorses. Saori recalled the high paced play between the two teams, an obvious sign of how good each player was. She also recalled how her mother had cheered for Alvark, shouting out words like 'Defense' and 'Shoot!'. Rina had even explained to her the rules of each game and the importance of each players. She even often said that Saori would make a good Small Forward.
The Seahorses won the game, but mother and daughter both went home smiling.
Her hand moved on its own accord, reaching out and taking hold of the hanging yellow piece of paper. As though waking up from a deep slumber; however, she yanked her hand back and left the piece of paper intact. What was she thinking? There was absolutely no way that her father would allow her to play Basketball! He would often comment that she was a lot like her mother, and if she pursued this, it would only worry him more. Saori was becoming Rina in his eyes, and it was making him over protective as it is.
But even if by chance—a miraculous one at that—he had said yes, Saori knew that it would be bad for her to get attached to such things. Ten years was far away from the current time, but there was no definite proof that she wouldn't be experiencing anything early. Plus, what if she ended up considering this as a career? It wouldn't do her any good to dream. As Minami often said to her, what Saori had was a death sentence.
Saori's shoulders fell as the image of her smiling mother penetrated her brain. That same shine in her eyes as she told her the same words that she would repeat ever so often whenever they finished a game. "I'm happy that you love Basketball too, Saori." Rina would always begin. "It's a sport that really teaches you to never give up as long as you have time." It had taken the blonde awhile to realize that there was always a double meaning behind those words. It had taken her until the last day of her mother's short life to realize that she had said it to herself just as much as she said to her second daughter.
Her hand fell back to her side, and the blonde released her defeat. She prayed to her mother, telling her that she was sorry that she couldn't become the Small Forward she wanted her to be. Saori wanted nothing more than to make Rina proud, but she didn't want loses and hatred on her just because her hand ended up letting go of the ball because of a sudden jerking motion. Saori didn't need all of that pressure. The smiling face of her mother turned into a frowning one. The blonde closed her eyes and sighed once more.
Saori turned away from the list. She had originally been on her way to the cafeteria when the notice had caught her attention. She was supposed to meet up with Ryota for lunch. Taking the first two steps towards the right side of the hall though, the blonde heard a girl shout loudly.
"Harumi! Harumi!" Came a high pitched voice. "Harumi, you have to see this!" All eyes turned towards the cause of the sudden ruckus. Saori was no exception. Many of the students rolled their eyes at the sight of the two girls and returned to their original activities. The blonde, though, watched them. She noticed that a girl with auburn hair and dark green eyes—the girl who had shouted no doubt—was pointing at the exact same notice form that she had been looking at merely moments ago.
"Chii-chan, you seriously have to learn to calm down." Came the reply of a girl with short black hair (it didn't even reach her shoulders) and black eyes. This was Harumi, Saori assumed. This second girl was pale skinned, white as paper, and was tall. She was probably a good two inches taller than the blonde herself. Harumi also wore a hat with cat ears atop her head. "You disturbed all of the students in the hall."
"But Haru-chan!" The redhead replied. "It's so rare that the girls' basketball team have try outs!"
"Doesn't give you the right to shout and cause a fuss." The redhead pouted at her words.
"You're no fun." Harumi smiled, as if taking the insult as a compliment.
Saori was still fairly close to the two of them still, and couldn't help but laugh at the polar opposite friends. She found it endearing that the two of them seemed to get along, but the blue eyed thirteen-year-old was embarrassed when she realized that both girls had turned towards her. The red head looked slightly pissed that someone had listened in on their not-so-private conversation, but her glare turned into wide eyes when she caught sight of the blonde.
"You're Kise Saori!" Saori was shocked when the red head was suddenly in front of her, face so close that it invaded personal space. "Oh my gosh! Harumi, look! It's Kise Saori!" Saori wasn't quite sure how the two girls knew her, but she nodded in confirmation none the less. She wasn't quite sure how to react to being recognized like a celebrity. Again, people in the hall rolled their eyes in annoyance. Some even left due to the noise.
"I'm Kishimoto Chihiro!" The red head—now known as Chihiro—said, then pointing to her friend as she said: "And that's Nakatani Harumi. We're both big fans of your cousins!" Saori sighed. So that was what it was? It was because of Ryota's modeling? She was still confused how they actually knew her, but before she could even ask, Harumi had stepped up and pulled Chihiro, by the collar, back.
"First, I'm not a fan." Harumi explained, looking at Saori. "Second, you're making her uncomfortable Chii-chan." Again, Chihiro pouted, this time even sticking her tongue out at her taller best friend. Harumi plainly ignored her and apologized to the blonde. She shook her head in response.
"How do you know me?" Saori decided to ask.
"Oh, Kise-san talked about you in one of his latest interviews!" Chihiro answered, Harumi now being the one to roll her eyes. "He was asked who he considered his best friend, and he explained that he had this cousin who he always spent time with and played with when he was younger! He even took out a picture of the two of you and allowed to the interviewer to get a copy of it. You two were so cute! He was pushing you on the swing!" She talked so fast that Saori found it a miracle that she understood a single word.
"Oh…ugh…well, it's nice to meet you, Kishimoto-san." Was the only thing she managed to say.
"You're making her uncomfortable." Harumi stated, sing-song-ish.
"Oh, you can call me Chihiro!" Saori turned to Harumi with a small smile, and the black haired girl shrugged it off. She seemed used to being ignored. "And, wait, you were looking at the Basketball Notice too? Are you going to try out? Oh, that's great! We can be team mates and you can tell me all about Kise-san! You can be our third best friend!"
"Sorry," The blonde began. "I was just looking."
Saori felt bad when Chihiro deflated from her bubbly self. She noticed that Harumi released a sigh of her own. Had she said something wrong? What happened? "I'm really sorry." Saori safely said, Chihiro shaking her head as she took two of the hanging pieces of paper and handed one over to Harumi. It was the black haired girl that answered her unasked question about the sudden change of attitude.
"There aren't a lot of girls who try out." She began. "They always find it hard to form a team, and last year they couldn't even join any of the leagues cause they lacked players. Chii-chan and I were hoping that maybe we could make the team this year though, and change that." Saori felt even worse. Should she tell them that she wanted to? Would they be offended if she told them that she just lacked the drive and the motivation? In the end, Saori just nodded her head in understanding and looked sadly at the notice.
"Maybe this year will be different." She offered. "I'm sure Himuro-senpai will make sure it is. I heard that she's a transferee from America. Home of the NBA and the WNBA." It was actually Minami who had talked about it one night during dinner. Saori had commented how amazing it was, but Minami just complained about how now it was noisier in the Orchestra Room. Its window was just across the second gymnasium.
"I heard that too." Harumi answered. "I'm actually really excited to try out on Friday."
"Good luck then!" The blonde said. "I don't think you'll need it, cause I'm sure you'll do great though."
"I'll need all the luck I can get!" Chihiro immediately said, making Saori laugh slightly.
The three girls all went their separate ways after a few more shared words, with Saori heading towards the cafeteria and Harumi and Chihiro towards the library. In front of the door, Saori saw Ryota waiting and felt guilty. She was five minutes late, and her cousin was probably already hungry. "Ryota-nii!" She called out, running when he turned at waved at her to come over. "Sorry I'm late, I got side tracked."
"I was late too actually." Ryota answered honestly. "Teacher had to talk to me about something." He continued, cutting Saori off before she could voice her worries. "What food did you make for me today, Sa-o-ri-chan?" She rolled her eyes at that, and raised the lunchbox that she was carrying.
"Tamago maki, Katsu curry rice, and Miso soup!" Without another word, Ryota had pulled her into the cafeteria. Saori wondered what was it about today that made her laugh a lot, but it was a welcomed occurrence, especially because everyone seemed to be walking on egg shells around her at home. She felt slightly guilty for not telling Ryota about what she had recently learned, but Saori knew that there was always a later.
For now, she would enjoy their lunch together like they've been doing since Elementary School.
She hid behind one of the chairs in the last row of seats in the Basketball Court. From there, Saori observed all of them play. This would be one of the six teams that would possess a Generation of Miracles player, and though she wanted nothing to do with the sport—or so she says—she did want to get to know that team that Tetsuya would be playing for. Saori was curious, and there was good reason to be. Seirin really had taken possession of a Golden Egg, but as her eyes trailed down Kagami Taiga, she noticed that perhaps Seirin had actually been luckier than most.
Aida Riko, the Seirin Coach and second year high school student, had them play upperclassmen versus underclassmen. Her blue eyes followed each movement the player she was currently observing made. Saori had watched Tetsuya more times than she could count, and so she focused on the other players that graced the court. She even spared the coach a glance and approved of her after a good five minutes. She was better than a lot of professionals, that was for sure.
At first, Saori's eyes had obviously drifted to Taiga. His tall physique and heavy build would attract anyone's eye. She had spent five minutes watching him, and she was certain that his ace talent would be the fact that he jumped high. Saori also suddenly found her hand copying a lot of the movements that he was doing. That was when she frowned and realized that whoever had trained him knew what they were talking about. His temper would prove disadvantageous though, that was for sure.
"Too aggressive, too excited, too childish." She mumbled to herself. "Needs more experience, needs a takedown, above average player, below average intelligence. Not a team player." Old habits die hard, Saori realized, mentally listing each activity and practice routine that Taiga would need to improve. It had been one of her jobs as the old Point Guard of the Teiko Girls' Basketball Team.
Saori's attention then drifted to the upperclassmen's Point Guard. Taiga had been in front of him, trying to block him from shooting, and it had shocked her when he suddenly passed to Hyuuga Junpei who was behind him. She had spent a good two minutes on him, concluding that he was their play maker. He had an Eagle Eye that allowed him to see things from a different perspective and a wider angle. He was cool and collected and he was a good on court strategist as well. He would prove important in any game, and again Saori congratulated Seirin on their luck.
"Good focus, lacking confidence, room for improvement." Were the words that she released. Saori was sure that if they had him on a training program that focused on his skill, his vision would improve. Perhaps it was even possible for him to no longer look at his opponent to steal a ball behind him. "Needs new training regimen."
The next player that had caught her attention was the Team Captain himself. He was an average player with a lack of a special ability, but she did notice the slight resemblance to Shintaro. A three-point shooter who never misses shots. She noticed how when he got confident his shots were easier to make, and she also noticed how in control of his center of gravity Junpei was. Their coach had really trained him well, cause things like that never came naturally to anyone. Saori applauded Riko.
"Room for improvement, speed training, fair blocker and good de—"
"You're still amazing as always, Saori-san." The blonde jumped and only managed to stop a scream from escaping her mouth. "As accurate as always. Are you going to hand your observations in to the coach?" Saori glared at the bluenette that was now crouching down beside her. If only she had Shun's ability, perhaps she would be able to notice him easier. Actually, she considered the entire bell collar idea once again.
"How many times do I have to tell you to stop doing that?!" She whispered angrily, her glare not disappearing. "How did you know that I was here anyway? You were playing just a few minutes ago!" Tetsuya shrugged and turned back to the team that was playing. No one seemed to have noticed his disappearance just yet, and so he remained by Saori, curious why she was watching their practice game.
"I saw you watching Izuki-senpai," Tetsuya explained. "And I wondered why someone who wanted nothing to do with Basketball was watching our game and observing our players." Saori bit her lip and played with her fingers. He had caught her red handed, and now she was not sure how to answer.
"I—I—I was walking to the library and I got lost and ended up here." The bluenette turned to her with his stoic look, and yet she knew that he was mocking her. "What? My sense of direction is bad. Just ask Ryota-nii, he would tell you about all the times we got lost because of me." It was a lie, but she highly doubted that Tetsuya would be talking to Ryota anyways. Even if he did, Ryota would probably just agree to insult her. He loved doing that lately, putting her down and belittling her.
"The library is on the other side of the school." Tetsuya stated. "Even a person with the worst sense of direction wouldn't get lost and end up at this gym." The blonde bit her lip once again and shook her head. She clenched her hands into fists and came up with a different excuse.
"I just wanted to watch for old time's sake." Saori countered. "I got a message from Rei-chan awhile ago, and I began thinking about my times with them. I thought that watching you guys play would just remind me of those good memories." If Tetsuya didn't believe the lie, he didn't show it. He didn't question her about it either, deciding to just crouch beside her and continue watching the game.
It wasn't really a lie, if Saori would ever admit it. She missed her old team, her old friends, and if she could, she would rewind time to those days where they celebrated and practiced together. They would all hang out in Mara's house and party like it was the end of the world when they won games. When they lost, their coach would treat them to a restaurant and boost their confidence. When they practiced, it was like being around the sisters she wished she had. Saori wondered if she made the right decision by rejecting Chihiro's offer to go to Touou High School.
She could have been with Satsuki there too.
"Pressure defense." Saori muttered, her blue eyes now following Rinnosuke as he went against Taiga. "Hook shooter." She added, taking notice of his form. It was probably weird to understand, but Saori had been able to just see and understand things that others didn't. Satsuki had described it as a cross between Seijuro's Emperor Eye and her data gathering skills. It was one of the few times she had actually felt shy about accepting a compliment.
Riko had begun shouting something at the first years when Tetsuya spoke again, causing Saori to jump. She had forgotten all about him being there and had muttered and whispered all of her observations as if she were alone. "Do you miss it?" He had asked, but the question did not register in the blonde's mind. All that ran through it was that she really, really, really needed to gift him a bell collar or something. Especially if they were going to be in the same school and he would insist talking to her.
"What?" Saori asked.
"Do you miss it?" Tetsuya repeated.
Saori actually scoffed. Of course she missed it. The rewarding feel of the sweat dripping down her tired body after every game—more so if they won, the pressure of the final quarter, especially if they were behind, her team mates being there with her through thick and thin. There was a lot to miss, and she would have given up an arm just to go back to those joyous times. She would never, ever, share the truth with any of the Generation of Miracles. No, for them, she would pretend that Basketball was a curse and nothing more.
"No," She told him.
"Do you really believe that?" Came the stoic question.
Saori actually smiled. A real one.
No matter what anyone said, she knew how keen an observer Tetsuya was. Probably more so than her cousin, and his skill relied heavily on such skills. Ryota could have probably seen through her lie too, but only Tetsuya would have been brash enough to come out and ask her if she really believed the words that came out of her mouth. Seijuro would have probably seen through it too, but Saori rarely ever thought of what the red head would do. The last time she did, she ended up losing to him. She ended up quitting the sport she had thought was her escape.
"If I keep telling myself that," Saori started. "Maybe I will some day."
"If you love Basketball, then you never will." It was the one time she had ever heard him sound so sympathetic. "Even if you end up hating it with all of your heart, you're never going to end up not missing it, and you're just going to feel guilty for giving up on it." Her smile widened as she shook her head, standing from her crouching position and turning to him as he stood as well. She would keep lying.
"It's a good thing I don't love Basketball then." He gave her that look that he often gave Ryota when he was training him, a look that basically screamed that 'I don't believe your crap'. Saori's smile didn't waver though, and Tetsuya actually glared at her. His beliefs and her beliefs were two different things, and he would never truly understand what she had to go through and she is going through. "Not like you, at least, Tetsuya-kun."
"What happened to you?" He retorted.
"Stuff." She answered. "Stuff that even you or Seijuro-kun wouldn't understand."
"And would Kise-kun?" Saori's smile fell at his words.
"He never even tried." The blonde backed away, approaching the gymnasium door behind her. "He didn't even listen." Was that sadness or pity she saw in his eyes? Maybe both, maybe neither. It was probably just her imagination.
"You should get back, I think Taiga-san has realized that you've disappeared." Her words were made obvious by the sudden shout of the angered red head. They were losing by quite a bit, and Tetsuya's passes would be a big help. Even Riko was shouting for the bluenette now, threatening more drills on him.
"I don't believe anything you say." He called after her as she was about to close the door.
"That's not my problem." She came back. "That's all on you."
She shut the door of the gymnasium and made her way towards the library after that, Tetsuya's final words ringing in her ears. It really shouldn't have mattered if he believed her or not, but why did it? Why did she care so much that Tetsuya wanted her back in the sport? Why did she care so much that he cared? Why did he care in the first place? They weren't all that close before, and she had only ever been around him when Ryota had been following him around. Most of the time, he had hung out with Daiki.
"Get out of my head…" She whispered slightly, remembering the final game that the Generations of Miracles had played. Saori had left in the middle of the final quarter, but there were rumors after that. She remembered Satsuki telling her that something had happened, but she never really did pay any attention. Now, she wished she did. Maybe it would shed some light on the bluenette's awfully weird behavior.
"…Stay out of my head."
"What position are you aiming for?" Someone asked.
Saori had been tying the laces of her sneakers into a neat double knot when she was forced to look up. The voice sounded excited, and so Saori thought that it would be either Chihiro or Harumi from earlier. She was shocked; however, to come face to face with a girl with hair the color of caramel and eyes the color of lime. "I mean, nearly all the spots are vacant cause the previous team graduated. It's like a free-for-all!" The brunette added.
Shaking her head slightly, Saori took note that the girl was jittery. It was like she had just ingested a few packs of sugar past her limit. Her eyes screamed anticipation, and her hands were clutched together, like in prayer, as she stared at the blonde and waited for her answer. Looking around, Saori realized that they were the final two girls left in the locker room. As if the brunette hadn't made it obvious that she was talking to her by just standing in front of her.
"I…don't know." Saori decided to say. "My mom said I would make a good SF." She watched the brunette's face drop for just a second, and then she bounced back into her jittery self. She was wearing a lose black t-shirt with a pair of yellow biker shorts, Saori took notice. The blonde had gone with a white tank top and a pair of loose brown Bermuda shorts, herself. There was not a doubt in her mind that this jittery girl was going to try out just by her attire, so her face either fell because she wanted the same position or she knew something about it.
The brunette extended her hand, and Saori took it as the other girl helped her to her feet. She was amazed that the brunette didn't fall back completely when she was obviously shocked by the sudden force of her pull. Saori had jerked forward, but the other girl just smiled as she stepped back. The blonde took notice that the girl had good control over her sense of gravity. She doubted it was the Small Forward position the brunette was after.
"Good balance," Saori commented, earning her a wide smile from the other girl. She had released her hold on Saori's wrist after that, walking back to the bench and fetching her water bottle from her green and white duffel bag. "If you jumped high enough—(Which Saori thought was the case, analyzing the muscles on the girl's legs)—you would make a dangerous Shooting Guard." The smile the brunette gave her morphed, wickedly, into a smirk.
"Small Forward, you say?" The lime eyed girl asked, and Saori was just about to correct that she had said Shooting Guard when she was cut off. "I think you've got the wrong position in mind if you're observation skills are that good." There was slight flicker on confusion in Saori's face, but she understood—albeit after the girl had left the locker room—that the brunette had meant her choice of position.
Shaking her head, trying to get her focus back, Saori grabbed her own water bottle and headed out towards the Gymnasium. It was safe to say that Saori was rather shocked by the amount of girls she saw there when she went through the double doors. Harumi had mentioned that there was a big lack of girls who wanted to join, but there was a good fifteen females there. Saori frowned at the thought that she had done this for nothing. She had tried to get her father to agree for nothing.
The blonde roamed over the teenage girls in the court. There were some that she could tell lacked the stamina and the skill, and there were some that she registered as too short to make it. She particularly paid attention to the girls who were sitting on the bench and gossiping away. Saori pulled a face at them, thinking that they must have been confident if they weren't even confident. Looking at their lack of muscle and lack of interest, she concluded that they were either doing this to impress boys or they just wanted to amuse themselves.
Moving her blue eyes away from them, she spotted Chihiro and Harumi on the far left of the half-court, stretching their legs and arms. Chihiro had her whole upper body bent forward over her left leg, her hands touching her toes. Saori was shocked by her flexibility, but was more shocked that she hadn't noticed it earlier. She had always been able to tell certain things, even when her mother had taken her to games when she was younger.
Harumi was standing beside Chihiro, her right hand over her left elbow as she stretched her left arm behind her head. She had turned slightly and spotted her, causing her kick her best friend slightly and point in the blonde's direction. Jade eyes lit up, and a hand came up and waved at Saori. "Kise-chan! Over here!" The blonde smiled as she made her way over, returning the wave when she neared. "You decided to try out after all!" She exclaimed loudly, causing most of the others to turn their way. Harumi rolled her eyes once again.
"How many times do I have to say don't get over excited?" The black haired girl asked.
"As much times as I have to tell you to smile." The red head answered.
"There are a lot of girls trying out, huh?" Saori decided to say, trying to avoid the spat that she noticed the two get into every so often. "I thought you said that there were rarely any girls who do this sort of thing, Nakatani-san?" Harumi turned to her and shrugged, pointing towards the girls on the bench that Saori had distastefully looked at earlier. Chihiro glared in their direction too, sticking out her tongue when they looked at her in question. Saori almost laughed.
"Those girls are just trying to get boys." Harumi answered. "They think if their on the girls' basketball team, guys would find them athletic and approachable. Doesn't matter to them if they win or lose." Chihiro nodded vehemently, and Saori clicked her tongue and turned to the girls who were now glaring their way. Out of good fun, she too stuck out her tongue. They seemed rather offended, seeing as their glares hardened tenfold.
"How about the others?" Saori asked, turning away from the ignorant females.
"No skill." Chihiro answered. "I bet most of them can't even shoot from the free throw line." The blonde had to agree, and Harumi nodded as well, expressing her positive reaction to her best friend's observation. Looking around, Saori was trying to find the brunette that she had met in the locker room earlier. She wanted to know Chihiro's and Harumi's opinions on her. Wanted to know if they got that same strange feeling around her as she did. Sadly, Saori couldn't spot her anywhere. Perhaps she had forgotten something in the locker room.
Suddenly, a loud whistle echoed within the Gymnasium.
By the door stood a girl with long, braided, black hair. She had a determined and menacing look in her blue eyes as she eyed them all with distaste. Saori swore that she even growled she spotted the girls sitting on the bench on the other side of the court. Those girls stood up immediately as they recognized her, and Saori took her best guess that the black haired girl was the Team Captain: Himuro Mara.
Saori eyed her from head to toe, taking notice of some of her skills. She had good jumping ability, she had strength in her arms, but she wasn't very fast. When her blue eyes met Saori's own, Mara smirked. She had the same reaction when she saw Chihiro and Harumi as well, nodding towards their little group of three. Turning to her two new friends, she found that both were rather happy with the attention. Chihiro had a wide grin on her face, while Harumi had a small smirk. Saori shared Chihiro's expression openly, sparing a glance at the now standing bench girls who were glaring at them with a strong killing intent. She was so tempted to stick her tongue out at them again.
"Front and center, all of you!" Mara released a loud sound from the whistle, and all the girls busied over towards her. Saori stood beside Chihiro, and Harumi was on the red head's other side. They were at the very last part of the horizontal line that the teenage girls formed. "There are a lot you, aren't there?" Saori sensed distaste in her words, a slight disgust even, but they all nodded none the less.
Mara walked in front of the girls one by one, eyeing them from head to toe and taking notes in the clipboard that she was holding. She would step in front of other girls and invade their personal space, and when she found whatever it was that she was looking for, she would step back and write on her clipboard once again.
When she reached Saori, she did the same and stepped in front of her. Blue connected with blue, and Saori didn't even shiver when Mara dared to step closer. The captain must have been impressed, cause she stepped back with a smirk and moved on to Chihiro to do the same. Saori was to afraid to turn to her left to see what was going on—seeing as the captain might get mad—but she had a feeling that both her new friends had passed with flying colors. The blonde would have been shocked if they didn't.
"Let me explain to you how this is going to work." Mara began, speaking into the megaphone, that she had clipped to the waist band of her jogging pants, as she looked at all of them. "I'm going to divide you into balanced teams of five. When one player is missing from a team, I will take the place. Expect no help from me but the minimal, understood?" Saori nodded along with the other girls, and as Mara was about to continue, one of the sitting bench girls spoke up.
"You mean we actually have to play and get sweaty?" Saori, Chihiro, and even Harumi had to hold back laughter at her words. Mara, on the other hand, found no amusement in them. Her blue eyes turned to slits as the idiotic woman continued to talk. "Don't we just get in when we come here? I mean, like, you don't even have a lot of players. Shouldn't all of us just get in?" Saori and Chihiro were holding onto each others' shoulders just to keep upright. Harumi, to their shock, was able to control herself.
Mara, annoyed, stepped up to the girl with her eyes almost cat like and predatory. "It takes five players to play a game," She began. Her voice was cold and angry, and she reminded Saori of Minami when someone insulted her flute playing. "Six players to form a team just in case of substitution for fouls or injury." The group of three at the end wondered if the bench girl was pissing in her shorts. She seemed mighty frightened.
"At most, I only need five of you. So shut up and listen."
The bench girl nodded vigorously and Mara returned to her original standing spot as she continued to explain. "You're going to play against each other in sudden death games. The team that wins all their games gets the open spots." It was simple enough, but Saori wondered what would happen if a team with four members won. As if to answer the unasked question, Mara continued with: "I'll pick the the best player from the second placing team if by chance only four members make it."
For the next two to three minutes, the only words that could be heard from Mara were: "You move here" and "You get over there". She never once made Saori move away from Chihiro and Harumi, but she did separate the other girls into groups of five as she previously mentioned. The only time she said anything and pointed to them, was to direct a girl to move over to their group of three. Chihiro was ecstatic to meet her.
Saori smiled as Chihiro gave their new team mate a welcoming hello and introduction, but she was surprised to see the brunette from the locker rooms standing there. She had a wide smirk as she spotted Saori, and she walked over to her after saying hello back to Chihiro. Saori somehow felt comfortable to be grouped with her, knowing that she had skill, but her final words from the locker room were still fresh in her mind.
"I like this group." The brunette said. "Don't you too, Captain?"
Harumi, Chihiro, and Saori were shocked to find Mara standing near them with a smirk on her face. It bothered Saori that the brunette had seen her when she was standing behind her, and that strange feeling from the locker room returned. Mara approached them though, so she couldn't question, and realized that they were the only team with four members. The other fifteen girls were sorted into three groups of five. It was weird to say, but Saori felt really confident about the team she was a part of.
"What positions are you playing?" Mara asked, now standing in front of the four of them.
Saori watched as Chihiro and Harumi answered "Power Forward" and "Center" respectively. When it was the brunette's turn, she was not surprised to hear "Shooting Guard". When it came for Saori's turn though, she cut off by the brunette beside her before she could answer her wanted spot.
"She's a Point Guard." The brunette said. "So that means you're playing your Small Forward position Captain." Mara eyed the brunette warily, but nodded as she wrote those in the clip board and walked over to the other teams to ask for who was who. Harumi and Chihiro glared at our new team mate, obviously sensing my distaste with what she did. All the brunette did was smile though.
"Trust me, that's your position." Was all she said.
"Who are you anyway?" The blonde ask, a bit ticked. My mother had said Small Forward. She wanted to be a Small Forward.
"Takahashi Rei." She answered calmly. "And trust me when I say that you would make a great Point Guard." Saori had no idea why, but she just sighed and nodded, making the brunette known as Rei smirk widely. When Harumi had suggested that they all stretch and practice and get to know each other's moves, Saori had this strange feeling that something had started underneath her nose.
She just didn't know what it was.
VIOLA! I have the newest chapter for all of you! Remember, please read the previous chapter because it has been rewritten. So, sorry again, for the wait for this chapter. I sort of got busy and lost inspiration, but here I am, back again. I was just reading a few chapters of the manga and I just had the urge to re-write this entire thing. Hopefully it payed off and you liked this chapter! If you didn't I have a gun to my head—just saying. Okay, not seriously. Just messing with you all!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY 20TH YAMADA RYOSUKE! Hahaha, isn't that random? Sorry, I just wanted to have that out there. I mean, come on, if you were a fan of his band, you would understand the hype. He's my third favourite member in that band, so I just wanted to greet him!
I don't really have much to say in this AN except that I would appreciate the support and if you would share some reviews and opinions. It really inspires me to write when you give me feedback and to know that you are enjoying the story. Another thing would be that sorry if it's a bit OC heavy, this chapter, but her past team is really important.
Reign, over and out.