Author's Note : School starts in less than a week! I'm so excited for a new school year, but that means I will be super busy. Luckily, things haven't gotten too busy yet, so you can expect updates every three to four days. This chapter will feature Shoko's family life.

I know in the manga Haisaki Shougo is portrayed as a huge, violent bastard that no one likes (lol), but there has to be a reason to why he's like that. In addition, although he keeps saying he doesn't like basketball, there has to be a reason why he joined the team in the first place and was part of the GoM.

So yeah, even though Shougo is a bastard, he's still human. I will be exploring more of his character in this chapter and you will be able to see the two siblings interact! Sorry for all the angst in this chapter, I just finished reading Deadman Wonderland.

In addition, there will be some reference to the Prince of Tennis in this chapter because I couldn't resist. Ha ha. As always, thank you for your support. I hope you enjoy this chapter and please let me know what you think by reviewing!

Disclaimer : I do not own Kuroko no Basuke or Prince of Tennis. I own all original characters and the story plot line. Any similarities to a live person or event are purely coincidental.

"You can't play basketball by yourself" –Kuroko Tetsuya

[04]

Her aunt was the first person Shoko saw when she exited the train. Shoko grimaced as her aunt waved enthusiastically towards her family. Her aunt – flamboyant as always – was wearing a strikingly red dress and black heels. "It's hard to miss her otherwise." Her brother snorted, trailing behind Shoko with a scowl on his face.

It was obvious her brother wanted to be anywhere else but in Nagoya. "Masaharu! It's so great to see you and your family again!" Her aunt greeted, throwing her arms around her father.

"It's nice to see you again too, Miharu." He replied, patting her back awkwardly. It had been nearly two years since their last visit to Nagoya – her mother's birthplace – but this time, their visit was under different circumstances.

Miharu beamed, turning her attention to Shoko and Shougo. Her brother scowled at his energetic aunt while Shoko politely greeted her aunt with a quick bow. After a long deliberate glance-over at the siblings, Miharu spoke.

"It's been so long since I've seen you too!" Miharu cooed, pinching Shoko's cheeks. "You two have grown up so much!" Miharu released Shoko's cheeks and looked at Shougo with a disappointed face.

Shoko rubbed her cheeks while Miharu spoke. "What did you do with your lovely hair, Shougo?" Miharu frowned, reaching for a strand of his bleached locks. She remained unfazed when Shougo slapped her hand away.

"You should have kept it the lovely shade of grey like your sister!" She chided, smoothing Shoko's hair with a gentle hand. Her hair – which was usually tied in a high ponytail – was loose and reached her midback.

Shougo's expression contorted into a nasty scowl and his hands curled into tight fists. Shoko was certain that her brother would cause a scene, but surprisingly, he uncurled his fists and walked towards the car without a word.

Shoko stared at her brother's back as he entered the car. Miharu sighed loudly and turned to complain to Shoko's father about his unruly behavior. While her brother might have an uncontrollable temper, he wasn't a bad guy.

Misunderstood, maybe, but definitely not the bad guy the basketball team made him out to be.

Shoko turned her attention back to her aunt and father. It seemed as if they were waiting for the rest of her family members from Kyoto to arrive. Shoko opened the car's door and slid in the seat across from her brother.

Shougo looked startled as he dropped his phone to his lap. Shoko stared at the object with distain; he was probably texting one of his latest flings. "Damn it, Shoko! Don't barge in here like you own the place." Her brother complained once he regained his composure.

Shoko raised a brow. "You don't own the car either, so don't act like you do." Her brother frowned, but remained stretched out on the seats. They were siblings, but they never got along.

He was too predictable while Shoko was too perceptive. "Miharu-san is too honest." Shoko finally said, breaking the silence between the siblings. "So don't take her word to heart."

"Like I give a damn about what she thinks." Shougo retorted, staring out the window with a hardened expression. His eyes twitched in annoyance as he felt his sister's piercing gaze on him. "What the hell are you looking at, brat?" He snarled.

Shoko frowned. Although he was only a few months older than her, he never seemed to miss the opportunity to remind her that he was the older child. "How annoying." Shoko clicked her tongue as she crossed her arms across her chest.

She ignored her brother's heated glare. While Shougo would never admit in a million years to his younger sister, Shoko knew that their aunt's comment had bothered him.

Why did he choose to dye his hair blond out of all colors? It wasn't a move to become more popular. He was already athletic, handsome, and rich in elementary school.

Shougo bleached his hair the fall of their freshman year at Teiko. For the longest time, Shoko tied his hair to his new personality he had formed, but realized the real reason when she watched a basketball game between Teiko and Seigaku.

When her brother filed in behind the other emerging Generation of Miracles, the reason hit her like a pack of bricks. 'All this time,' Shoko thought, smoothing the wrinkles out of her dress. 'He has been trying to fit in.'

It wasn't surprising when Shougo blew up when he was kicked off the team and replaced by Kise – a true blond. Her brother must have felt worthless to the team at that point and acted out terribly.

Shoko glanced at her brother who still wore a scowl on his face. 'Well, that's all in the past now.' Her brother might still harbor ill feelings towards the Generation of Miracles, but what did she know?

It was all just speculation to her.

Her grandfather was a retired politician that lived in the heart of Nagoya. Her grandmother came from a traditional Japanese family from Kyoto. Together, they were the strangest couple Shoko had ever seen.

Her grandfather was stern, but he had a big heart. His duties as a politician ended as soon as the Second World War began. Her grandmother had a soft visage, but had a heart of steel. She liked to blame her rigorous upbringing.

They were so different, so Shoko always wondered how they managed to stay married for nearly 40 years. Today was their 38th anniversary and they wanted to celebrate the special event with their closest friends and family.

Shoko nudged the abalone on her plate with her fork. She didn't care for such family events. It was just an excuse for her relatives to sit at one table and share their accomplishments.

"Aren't you enjoying the food, Haisaki?" A voice across her drawled out. "It would be such a shame to waste the food."

Shoko stabbed the abalone with her fork. "Shoko is fine, Keigo-kun." She responded with an even tone. "After all, we are cousins. Formalities aren't needed."

"Ahn~ Why the sour expression?" Atobe Keigo asked, elegantly cutting his steak. He seemed unaffected by the detached tone of her voice. "Are you not enjoying yourself here? It's been a while since you've attended one of the family events."

Shoko remained silent, choosing to focus her attention on the salad. "You and your brother stopped attending Hyotei Academy as well." Although he was only a year younger than her, he spoke with such self-confidence and composure. "Such a shame, we could have used your skills."

"Keigo," She placed her fork on the table and stared at the grey haired boy. "Let's stop talking about me." Shoko gave him a polite smile as she spoke. "I heard you took over your club's tennis team."

Keigo smirked and launched into a long story about how he overtook the team from his senpais. Shoko resisted the urge to roll her eyes. He was predictable. Shoko half-heartedly listened to his story as her eyes wandered around the restaurant her grandparents had rented for the night.

Her father was seated with her aunt and grandparents. Although the atmosphere in the room was festive, her father looked listless as he glanced at his phone several times. Her brother was seated at the end of her table. He looked bored as he pushed a piece of tuna on his plate.

They looked so out of place. "I heard that your brother was part of the Generations of Miracles." Keigo was saying. He had finished his story sometime when she was lost in her thoughts. "That's rather impressive."

"Do you think Teiko will win the championships again this year?" Keigo asked as the servers cleared their plates. "Although, if Hyotei had a strong basketball program, we would take the crown from you." He said arrogantly, flipping his hair out of his face.

Shoko gave him a flat stare. "I don't have a particular interest in basketball, so the championships are no concern to me." Suddenly, her phone made a loud beep. Several of her family members looked at her with disapproving frowns and Keigo looked amused.

Embarrassed, Shoko lowered her head and pulled out her phone. She sighed when she read the first message. Although Shoko had specifically told her not to message her when she was in Nagoya, Momoi had sent her an e-mail stating the team's latest win.

The second was from Harumi. Ever since they exchanged numbers, he had been sending her interesting messages. This time, it was a picture of a sliced watermelon.

The watermelons here are really good, Shoko-chan! We should have some when you come back. ^^ Have a safe trip.

Shoko gave a small smile. She didn't know the reason why he kept messaging her, but she found his messages endearing. She felt a sharp kick to her shin and looked up to glare at Keigo.

Her expression faltered as she saw her grandmother approaching and she dropped her phone back in her purse. "Hello, Keigo, Shoko." She nodded to the both of them respectively. "Thank you two for attending."

Keigo charismatically smiled. "Congratulations, grandmother." He gave her a sharp glance with the corner of his eyes, willing her to say something. "The food was delicious."

Her grandmother turned her attention towards Shoko. Her expression was unreadable. "You look like your mother more and more every day." A flicker of emotion flashed in her eyes. Was it sadness or resentment? Shoko couldn't tell.

Her grandmother cleared her throat when it became obvious Shoko wasn't going to say anything. "Have a safe trip back to Tokyo." She offered a small smile to Shoko, which she ignored.

Keigo waited for their grandmother approach another table. Sighing loudly, he looked at Shoko with a tired expression. "It's already been two years. Shouldn't you forgive her already?"

Shoko bit her lip. "I don't want to." If her mother were still alive, she would have chided Shoko for being childish. She didn't like how her grandmother suddenly acknowledged her family after her mother's death.

When her mother was still alive, she ignored their existence completely. Her grandmother wasn't happy when Shoko's mother announced that she would be marrying her father and her grandmother cut her off from the family.

She didn't have the right to waltz back into their lives and play grandmother. As far as Shoko was concerned, her grandmother was a complete stranger to her.

Her grandmother first spoke to Shoko and her brother at her mother's funeral two years ago. It was a rainy day so the rain masked her grandmother's tears.

"I'm sorry, Shoko. .Shougo. I'm sorry."

Shoko was sorry too, but being sorry wouldn't bring her mother back.

The next day, Shoko spent her morning relaxing at Keigo's summer home. Her father went into the city to finish some last minute business and Shougo had disappeared from his room that morning.

Pushing the sunglasses up her nose, Shoko closed her eyes as she basked in the July sunshine. She dipped her hand in the cool pool water as she floated lazily in her cousin's pool.

She left the party yesterday in a particularly foul mood – which was unlike her usual calm personality. Shoko knew that deep down, she shouldn't blame her grandmother for her mother's death, but she couldn't help but to place the blame on her.

In a way, Shoko was extremely childish. "Oi, how long as you going to sit here and mope?" Keigo called out, wiping his face with a towel. He had just returned from his morning tennis practice.

Shoko frowned lightly. "I am not moping." Keigo didn't look too convinced and threw his towel at her face. Shoko wrinkled her nose as she removed the sweaty towel. She turned to glare at Keigo, who merely smirked.

"Get up, you can't spend the rest of day lazing in the pool." Keigo said. Shoko removed her sunglasses. "I'll show you something interesting." Shoko weighed her options before diving into the pool.

Once she surfaced, she grabbed the edge of the pool and stared up at the younger boy. "This better be worth my time." She murmured, lifting herself out of the pool. Keigo grabbed a robe from the hook and threw it at her.

"Trust me, it's interesting." He said, tilting his head up arrogantly. Shoko snorted, slipping on the plush robe. His action might have been more impressive if he was taller than her.

The two left the pool deck and headed towards his sports facilities. Keigo's and her father were wealthy businessmen who often conducted business with each other, so she often spent time at his estate with her brother.

Shoko looked confused as they passed the tennis courts. She was certain Keigo was going to show her one of his flashy moves again – he always made her watch until he perfected his move. "Where are we going?"

Keigo shushed her and lead her to a secluded part of the sports area. Shoko heard the familiar sound of a basketball being dribbled and widened her eyes.

"He's been practicing since this morning." Keigo said in a low voice. "As expected from someone from the Generation of Miracles." He nodded in approval.

Shoko didn't have the strength to correct him. The news of his dismissal from the basketball team didn't reach the other schools in Tokyo – they all just assumed he grew tired of basketball.

Shoko watched as her brother tossed a perfect three pointer. He grinned in satisfaction as the ball soared through the hoop, touching nothing but the net.

Shougo grabbed the ball before it bounced on the court and scooped the ball into the net. Keigo whistled, obviously impressed. On the other hand, Shoko narrowed her eyes.

Why was her brother playing basketball? Last year, after Akashi had kicked him off the team and Kise replaced his spot, Shougo returned home in a blind rage. When she had asked him what happened, her brother snarled in fury and knocked down his basketball trophies – which he had so painstakingly lined up the week before.

He spent the whole week clearing out his room – claiming that the sight of a basketball made him nauseous. After his little episode, Shougo avoided anything that remotely resembled basketball and went onto chasing girls.

Shoko's eyes widened as the joy in her brother's eyes suddenly turned dark. He had a predatory grin on his face as he ran down the court, dribbling the ball beside him. He moved at an impossibly quick pace, dodging invisible opponent as he neared the net.

Keigo quickly realized that something was wrong. "What is he doing. .?" He barely managed to whisper. Shoko bit her lip. She felt chills go down her spine as Shougo dunked the ball.

Shoko stared at her brother. His breaths came out ragged as an animalistic grin stretched across his face. "He's practicing." Shoko finally answered. She felt sick. "He's practicing to get his revenge."