Chapter 17: Challenger
"Welcome to the End of Summer final relay!" the voice booms around her as she stretches out her body gently, releasing any sort of stiffness given to her from the two hour long train ride. "Today we have two magnificent teams, looking for the win, the blue ribbon, the right to stand on top!" The announcer is annoying, she decides. One of those overly excitable ones who doesn't know how or when to shut up. "Isn't that right, Tatsuo-san?" And of course he has to have a helper.
Tatsuo's voice is a bit deeper, but no less happy to be there. "That's right Hajime-san. Both teams have been found to be alarmingly fast and well worth the viewing! On one end, we have Kakyoin Gakuen! Kayoin is known country-wide for producing highly skilled Stride runners, and having a diverse team- they haven't had the exact same runners in seven years! All of their runners are geniuses, however there is one that I would like to highlight, Hajime-san"
"And who is that, Tatsuo-san?"
"This name is Yagami Tomoe, a young third year with nothing but a love for running and raw leg power! Standing at a generous height of one hundred and eighty one centimeters- that's five foot nine for you foreigners out there- his best position is anchor. His stamina and speed control are both off the charts even compared to his team mates! Yagami-san had been studying in America up until recently when he decided to join Kakyoin for this series of races! Personally, I am a huge fan, Hagime-san, his movement is beautiful, his gimmicks are smooth and well calculated and it's amazing to see how he handles corners and slopes". In place of the commentators faces, a picture of a young man with reddish brown eyes- or eye, as his bangs are swept to the right covering that ocular orb- and semi long black hair. His face is set into a somewhat serious expression, but there is a softness to his eyes that one cannot deny.
"That's pretty amazing! Pertaining to Kakyoin's history, that would mean that there's at least thirty five other skilled runners whom are else where within the world, blowing minds and taking names," Hajime exclaims with a beaming grin. "Each one of them a prodigy in their own right and wanted by thousands of schools world wide! Kakyoin's opposing team is another well known school from the Tokyo prefecture. Touou Gakuen has been the runner up for the End of Summer race three years in a row now, which while not first place is truly saying something!" Hajime pauses before continuing, "I have a personal favorite as well, Tatsuo-san".
Hajime chuckles and nods, "I would be surprised if you didn't, Tatsuo-san. Who is he?"
Tatsuo takes his turn to laugh, amused. Wait until the crowd gets a load of this! "They're not male, Hajime-san. Even though, as you know, this is a predominantly male sport due to the physical ability to compete on a high level, we have a female runner with us today. Her name is Tensai Tatsumaki and man does she live up to her name! This young whirl wind is a massive girl, standing at one hundred and eighty five centimeters- six foot one- covered in nothing but muscle and grace. Though she is a first year, and had taken a break part way through her third hear in middle school, she has led her team at Touou to victory by a substantial amount of time each time she ran! Unlike Yagami-kun, Tensai-chan is an all rounder, meaning that she does not specialize in one ability a runner must have. Instead, she has spread out her skills and has excelled in each category! She's truly something to watch!" Now sitting on the large screen next to Tomoe's, is a picture of a white haired girl with pretty green eyes. Her own hair has been styled to be short on one side, as long as mid-neck length, while the left side is long and shows natural waves. Her bangs, straight and soft looking, are swept to the right. On her face is a broad grin, welcoming and kind. However when one looks to her eyes, there is a fierceness that one probably wouldn't expect.
"Woah! Look at those eyes! So wild!" Hajime continues.
Tatsumaki sighs as the two continue to talk, moving on to the lesser known runners. Of course they would mention her. She's a rare breed in the world of Stride after all. However, the name Yagami is familiar to her. Didn't a boy named Yagami run against her team last time? Or maybe it was the time before that- she doesn't really remember. She does remember though that the other Yagami kid was on Satoshi's half brother's team. Standing to start stretching her back and arms, she spots someone standing before her and it's not Aomine. That jerk said that he wasn't going to come this time because all she ever does is run for a few moments and then the race is over. Jerk. He said that he had been interested the first few times because he didn't know what it was about. Now that he does, apparently it's not amusing any longer. But even so, she refuses to let that slow her down in the slightest. In fact, it won't. What it does do is encourage her to make this the most damn interesting race ever. Which is why she told Hanabusa to pit her against Yagami. It's a shame though, normally she transitions with Satoshi. This time though the other first year is their starter, and Hanabusa will be transitioning with her.
Never the less she gives her attention to the black haired stranger, his frame shorter but broader than her own, "Hey," she greets with a smile, recognizing him as the Hajime's favorite, "Yagami Tomoe, right?"
"Correct," the elder replies with a nod, "And you're Tensai Tatsumaki. I wanted to wish you good luck during our race; I look forward to seeing just how fast you can go. I hope you can keep up with me".
Tatsumaki blinks at the challenge, and then grins a feral grin. Sharp white teeth flash as she speaks, first releasing a confident chuckle and then nodding, "I could say the same to you. Don't cry like your brother did when you lose, okay? You're running for him, right?"
"Am I that transparent?"
"No," she admits, "But that tends to be the case when brothers do something together. If they're not overly competitive, they're always dedicating their run or their game to the other- especially if the other lost".
This time it's Yagami's turn to laugh, "I'm guessing that that's what happened before to you?"
"Yup," she laughs, "Raced one brother and then the other. But hey, I couldn't help but to make them cry. The only one that can beat me is me".
Now Yagami frowns, "That's not possible; there's always someone out there that is better than you. You just don't seem to have come upon that person yet. For all you know, that person could be me" Now the black haired third year steps forward, challenging, "And I think I am that person".
Sizing the smaller teen up, Tatsumaki looks down at him with cold green eyes. "I'm going to have fun running you into the ground," she snaps. "You're not going to beat me. There's no one who can". If there is, why hasn't she met them yet? Why has no one come to lift the curse off of her? She turns as the call for the teams to line up in running order is announced, leaving Yagami to trail behind her with a frown on his lips.
Tatsumaki silently takes in the running order by line up as the single Stride Association member states regulations and rules as is per usual before every race. The world around her is silent, the crowd of people feeling the tenseness produced by either team even from where they are. No one dares to say a word, not even a little smack talk or anything of the sort. Simply the runners stare one another down, attempting to assess what they'll be up against. Satoshi is the starter, though he is matched up with one of two twins. She doesn't know which one it is, but either his name is Izumino Hajime or Izumino Ryo. Never the less, the twins are identical, having short silver hair with bangs covering their foreheads and framing their stern faces. Pretty electric blue eyes go with pale skin and their dark purple based attire. Next in the running order, across from the other twin is Yatsuhiro. Despite specializing in corners and having decent slope handling abilities, Katsu's speed control is something else he specializes in, it complimenting his corner handling skills to near perfection. Yatsuhiro in turn will be transitioning with Asei, whom stands across from his own opponent. This person has striking magenta hair and stunning silver eyes. A handsome young man to say the least, a cocky grin rests on his lips as he stares the gentle black haired male down. This lad's name is Ida Amatsu. Next to him is a monster of a man, his frame taller than even Tatsumaki's and his face serious and cold. Honestly it looks to be a mirror of Hanabusa's gaze as the two seem the most hostile. With short black hair spiked upwards with jell and matching black eyes, he is broad shouldered to go with his height. This man, Aoba Nanpei, will be at last giving the race over to Yagami Tomoe whom stands across from Tatsumaki. At the beginning of each line is the relationer, with Kakyoin's seeming to be a gentle green eyed and green haired young man by the name of Natsunagi Toya. His paleness contrasts alarmingly with his fellow green haired relationer known to be Yuji.
Once the two teams have bowed and shared their last public stare down, all contestants are hearded to their spots, Tatsumaki and Tomoe included as they ride upon a cart that takes them to their starting point. She begins to stretch a little more, keeping her body warm, as she waits. She'll run this bastard into the god damn dirt if it's the last thing she does. "Tell me, Tensai," Yagami's voice calls to her from the side, "Why do you run if you seem to hate Stride so much?"
Tatsumaki pauses in her movements, surprised by the question but not at all put off, "I don't hate it, that's the thing. I love Stride with all of my being. What I hate is the fact that no one can challenge me. That no one can push me to my limits. It sucks, you know".
"...I can't say I do," Tomoe admits, "I always try my hardest, it shows my opponent respect".
Tatsumaki shrugs, "Good for you. I'm certain you've lost a number of times before; I haven't lost in so long that I can't remember what it feels like".
Over at the starting line, Satoshi's heard beats calmly as it can within its cage. They'll be starting very soon, and he can't help but wonder if he'll get to see the battle between Yagami Tomoe and his role model. That would be something for certain. Neither he nor his opponent, Izumino Hajime, say anything and instead opt to position themselves when the booming synthetic voice demands for them to get ready. Satoshi Jiro sets himself up, loading his legs with power and pushing his shoulders forward to help them relax a little. The sound of the buzzer that demands that they begin rings in his ears as he takes of with an explosion of speed. His feet snap and snarl as they tear at the ground, pushing off and pulling forward with each powerful stride he dares to create. Izumino is next to him, his face just as stoic as they pant and force themselves to a faster speed. He leaps over a hurdle that dare get in his way, not pausing even for a moment when he lands. Instead, he ops to curve around the corner and push off even stronger when he finds that the silver haired twin is still directly at his side. Down a slope and weaving through some poles brings him to another curve and closer to the take over zone.
"You're coming up on your goal, Satoshi," Nobuyuki's calming voice helps him to collect himself for a broad leap. He had started to get frustrated, displeased that he hasn't left this silver haired menace in the dust yet. He needs to create a lead; it's his job as the starter of this race. He wants to help Tensai reach victory again. It's always been rewarding, seeing that confident smile spread even wider the moment she crosses over the finish line. It's what's been driving him forward this whole season. He refuses to not see it this time around. And that was making him have to work harder than usual. However Nobuyuki, the ever skilled relationer, had most likely heard these thoughts in his breathing- that something was bothering him. His soothing tone brings concentration back to him, allowing him to press forward even as Inzumino attempts to pull away from him. His palm slams into Yatsuhiro's, the blond male lashing out with a powerful strike as their transition is made clean and fluid. He slows gently to a stop as to not fall and injure himself, panting as his sweaty face is turned up to the large screen TV that shows the next leg of the race. He purses his lips; Yatsuhiro isn't doing so well. He takes a long drink of the water offered to him by a worker, but is too focused on the race to thank them.
Shit. This brat is fast. Yatsuhiro snarls as he works hard to carry his heavier body along as fast as the other twin. Izumino Ryo is apparently a speed demon. Despite Katsu's beautifully handled curves and the speed he's placed into each carefully calculated step, he finds himself being pulled away from by the speedy first year. However, he does not let this slow him down as he surfs his way down the railing of a flight of stairs nor as he uses a pole to fling him around a particularly sharp corner. The slope that greets him is demolished to the best of his ability, his powerful legs pushing him further and further up. Izumino is not out of his sight yet, and it is this that pushes the second year even harder. His heart pounds in his temples and wrists, his legs screaming 'no more!' though he ignores the sensation of his toes beginning to go numb. If he can't get a lead, however, then he's just going to have to make certain that the gap between them doesn't get larger. And that's just what he does as he runs across monkey bars and again swings around a corner, finally making it to the transition zone where his left palm meets Asei's right palm in an aggressive thrust. Unlike Satoshi, his stop isn't nearly as graceful or gentle, his legs at last giving out from the stress and causing him to tumble to a stop. He hisses when his knees scrape across the concrete and his shoulder jars. However, he ignores it as he watches Asei burst forward like a bullet train from the station. "You better not let Taicho down," he snaps to the black haired male under his breath. This is the two seniors' last EoS after all. If anything, he wants the men he has been following for two years now to succeed and have a good memory of the sport should they stop after this.
Asei cannot believe the pressure that came upon him when he and Yatsuhiro transitioned with one another. The runner of the enemy, of Kakyoin High, is fast and powerful. However, Asei does not plan on losing today. If anything, he plans on winning and watching Kaido smile for the first time in a long while. All those other won races allowed him to see his best friend smirk and praise them all gruffly. However, winning his first EoS would certainly bring his fellow senior utmost joy. And so, even as the magenta haired boy begins to pull further away from poor Hayate, the black haired male's eyes narrow and he forces his body to move faster. Luckily, this portion of the course consists of his specialty- sprints. With this in mind, Asei's speed brings him faster and closer to his opponent, his long legs working hard and his lungs heaving and huffing making him feel like a race horse. His black hair whips behind him like a flag, daring not to get in his dark gaze's way as he bounces off a wall to help him make a corner without slowing down. He smiles kindly when Ida's gaze whips to him for even the slightest of seconds, surprised to find him there at his side again even as they leap onto and off of a long platform at rapid speeds. Where as the younger male rolls, Asei simply lands and keeps going, not pausing even despite the slight tip in his stepping due to too much forward momentum. He catches himself however before he can fall and it allows him to pull ever so slightly away from the first year. He's going to bring Kaidou the win if it's the last thing he does.
"Taicho," he hears Nobuyuki-kun's voice loud and clear, "Asei-senpai is on his way. He has a point two second lead. Three, two, one...Go!"
This only encourages Asei to go even further, his body whipping around one more corner before he spots the take over zone. He can feel Ida hot on his tail, just in his blind spot and refuses to give that miniscule lead away to the enemy. Despite running on empty at the moment, a smile spreads across his gasping face as he spots his Captain and best friend rushing into the take over zone and only glancing over his shoulder with those stern yet alluring hazel eyes. Today, the ever changing hazel especially bright with determination. They draw the black eyed male in as he reaches forward and claps palms with the last person to run before Tensai-chan. He slows to a stop before his trembling legs lead him to a place to lean against. His eyes are fixated on the form that is unfortunately taken over by the enemy and blocked off. It's going to be a close call, Hayate realizes as he takes a long sip of the electrolyte filled water offered to him.
Damn it. This team is strong. Hanabusa Kaidou mentally grunts as he lands from leaping across a series of poles only to dodge around a wall that had been set up to slow down the runner. His fingers groan as he flips himself over the edge of another wall, and he can feel his toes disagreeing with him as he races after his fellow Captain. Aoba is certainly not someone to be messed with, let it be known as once again Hanabusa is nearly shoved off of the thin path they're forced to run as they enter an alley wall filled with trash and other things that stink up the area. He attempts to swing around Aoba's left side, taking the sharper portion of the corner only to be cut off by the broad shoulders in front of him. This annoys him to no end. This bastard is a wizard apparently at blocking, and honestly Hanabusa doesn't like it. He's pulling tricks that Kaidou would pull, being a blocking specialist himself, but also adding another twist to them to ensure that there is no way passed him. A certain positioning of his feet, the way he straightens his shoulders to cover more horizontal distance, all small but crucial things done that piss the Touou leader off. But he refuses to lose. His damnable brother is watching this race- he had called half an hour ago and told him he would be- and is looking forward to his loss. The asshole that his brother is doesn't have the slightest amount of faith in Kaidou. Cocky bastard. But he has to win, he has to. Normally he has to win must to get back at Roko- his older sibling- for mocking him. But in this case, his livelyhood rests on it. With his parents having died in a car accident years ago, Roko has been the one to 'raise' Kaido. Kaido's ability to pay for food and comfort comes from his CEO of a brother, to lose the money given to him would make Kaido homeless in mere weeks. He refuses to lose!
Tatsumaki sighs low in her throat as her eyes catch sight of her Taicho being unable to pass the other team's Captain due to blocking abilities. She can spot the small movements in the broader male's movements that keep the skilled Hanabusa-senpai from taking over any of the gaps that would otherwise be left open for the Touou senior to conquer. However, as she spots familiar buildings that she and Yagami passed on the way to their current spot, she ignores the cheers of the crowd and the gasps that come from them as Hanabusa stumbles due to misplacing his foot. She ignores the cries and verbal winces and instead opts to look nowhere but forward. He'll pull through, the senior is much too stubborn for a simple twisted ankle to do him in.
"Tatsumaki," Yuji states, pensive, "They have a fifteen second head start. Be ready".
The female whirl wind can feel her heart skip. Someone has a head start on them? How rude. Her eyes glance to Yagami as he positions his body at the ready, features stern and his eyes burning with desire. She counts the seconds, keeping her breathing slow and calm despite the adrenaline that enters her veins without her command. The sound of Tomoe taking off is loud in her ears, her senses hypersensitive due to the adrenaline and the pounding of her heart. She counts the seconds again, as rapidly and close to reality as she can.
"Three," she gets ready, "Two," she loads her legs with the power needed for her to catch up to her opponent, "One," she leans ever so slightly forward her heart now hammering twice heavily in her chest with honest excitement. She underestimated Tomoe as the commentators mention that the other team has a full thirty second lead now, going on forty five seconds. Stride really is the best!
"GO!"
She does not even hear the 'o' in that word as she pushes off the second she even hears him take a breath in to utter a sound. Her legs push off, shooting her forward like a jet on steroids and with a resounding boom as though she had broken the sound barrier- though she knows that's only in her head and that humans are not capable of doing such things. All the same she attacks the first corner like a savage beast, a starved animal whom has spotted a wounded prey. A mother bear protecting her young from hunters who would love a bear cub coat. Her body has never been so nearly parallel with the ground as she whips around the corner and takes on the sprint with ease, her long legs shoving her forward and her body fighting the wind that dare block her way. She ignores the exploding screams of excitement as she passes them, focusing only on the straight only to literally leap down the flight of stairs and let her knees take the harsh impact due to not slowing down. Her muscles groan as she takes off without giving them a chance to fully uncoil from their landing, her hands hitting the ground and her body running on all fours like the beast she feels like. She covers a bit of distance, three or four strides like that before she changes to two feet again, pushing off even harder this time.
A set of raised and lowered platforms greet her and the back of on Yagami Tomoe can be seen growing closer and closer to her. Mentally she figures it's been about fifteen seconds, meaning that she covered the same amount of distance faster than the black haired enemy. But still it isn't fast enough. She can see that Tomoe seems to have decided that he wasn't going fast enough either, thus allowing the distance to remain the same. Tatsumaki cannot allow this, at it would result in her loss. Tensai Tatsumaki does not lose. The only one who can beat her, is her, after all. With this in mind, she sighs and relaxes her body, her face falling from that serious snarl it had taken on and instead allowing it to simply look bland. A straight poker face, if nothing else. She can feel her muscles become loose and not at all stressed, her joints stop their grunting and her mind stops over thinking the distance between her and Yagami. The cheering is no longer ignored, but instead it becomes white noise. The sights and other background sounds both also become a blur, colorless and unnoticed.
The Zone is not something that only works for basketball. To say the least. It is a universal ability that allows the body to further release the power with in it and surpass the limits that were slowing it down or making it weaker. It is not a common ability, however. One must be utterly devoted to the sport that they are taking part in in order to enter it. And if there is anything about Tatsumaki that is true, it's that she most certainly adores Stride. She lives and breaths it even though it would appear she hates it. It is her life, her food and water, her lover and shelter. She would give up everything in the world to just run Stride at any time she wanted.
And that is why the doors to The Zone have been open to her for a long time now. It has been almost equally as long that she hasn't had to use it.
She hears neither the surprise of Takao-san or Hajime-san as they exclaim that Tatsumaki has suddenly leaped and bounded over the distance separating her and Yagami. She does not hear the deafened screams of cheering that demand that she keep going or for Yagami to not give up even as she draws in on him. Gone is the half minute lead he has on her, and now here is the look of astonishment on his features replacing his confidence. She would sneer if she bothered to even pay attention to the fact that she has left Tomoe in the dust, passing him and gaining a fifteen second lead over him even as he tries to make his legs go faster. However, he is forced to watch the girl draw further and further away.
The only moment she realizes that she's won is when her body nearly crashes into a person, his features distinct against the swarming colors around her and alarming her to the fact that if he is there then she's passed the finish line. Skidding around his person, she uses him as an anchor to help keep her from going forward and crashing into the fencing set up to keep the crowd at bay. Her make shift anchor releases a surprised cry as he is forced to spin, her body winging around him twice in an attempt to slow down and stop. The sound of her heart returns to her ears, thumping heavily in her chest and causing her wrists and temples and neck to pulse rapidly. The blurred colors soon gain distinct shapes, going from mere unnoticed blobs to cheering fans and disappointed others. Her throat is dry, her mouth without any liquid on it and seconds later a crash of sweat over comes her. Not surprising as there's no more wind to keep her dry.
"You saw it folks! We have our winners of the End of Summer tournament! Touou Academy has taken the title of winner from Kakyoin High, winning by a full minute and a half! It seemed as though it was going to be a close call, but when my girl, Tensai Tatsumaki, decided to get serious she ran!" Hajime-san's voice rings with more than just a little pride and excitement. "Amazing! Astounding! It should have been impossible with the lead Yagami had but she left him in the dust, turning on the speed and agility like a switch!"
But Tatsumaki only stares at the figure who, now disgruntled, stares down at her, "Did you have to spin me around? Can't you stop on your own?" The girl pants heavily, feeling like a cheetah who just went hunting or a horse that just won a grand race or even a greyhound who beat the odds. Her hands shake as adrenaline still pumps through her veins, making the world brighter and louder than it probably really is. Her throat is dry, and instead of answering the young man in front of her she looks for water. "Here," he offers, her saving grace. He watches as she sips at the liquid, daring not to chug it for fear of throwing up shortly afterwords.
"What are you doing here?" She demands, both surprised and happy that he actually ended up coming anyways. "You said you weren't coming because it was boring or something like that".
Aomine scoffs and looks to the sky, not bothering to meet her expectant gaze, "I got bored of laying around". Like hell he would tell her that he had planned on surprising her like this all along. Never the less, he looks down at her and then to her celebrating team currently being bombarded by sports news agents and the like. He shoots a glare at one particular reporter that seems to want to talk to the tired ace, and takes her hand into his. He can feel her pulse through her palm, an obvious sign as to just how hard she had been working towards the end. "You're tired right? Let's go home".
"Home?" the girl demands, her body still pulsing with energy despite the exhaustion that she's certain will come her way in a moment or two. "Let's go? I'm pretty sure that the phrase is 'Let's get you home'," she denies.
"Shut up," he grunts and in kind drags her closer to him. His glare becomes darker as the reporter braves his look, displeasing him with his bravery. However before he can tug her into walking along with him, a familiar voice calls out her name. Aomine's attention is thrown over the heads of reporters and some of the other runners including the one she had smoked at the last minute. "Let's go," he doesn't care that her captain is calling her.
"Hold on Tensai," Hanabusa demands as he shuffles his way to her through the crowd, calling to her despite Aomine dragging her away. It would seem that the bronzed male was the only one to hear him at a distance. Upon being closer however, the white haired girl's sweaty face turns in his direction, gracing him with her gaze.
Tatsumaki pauses, pulling against Aomine's oddly persistent pull for her to get moving. He's probably tired of being around all these shouting people; he after all always wants to leave as soon as possible after a basketball game. It makes sense in her head. "Taicho," she greets blandly, luckily able to hear him over the dulling pulse as her heart makes good work of the job of settling down. "What do you need?" Though going home does sound good to her now exhausted frame, the adrenaline having run its course for her and now tiredness is taking over. She could go for a nice long nap. Aomine was right; they should have left right away.
The hazel eyed senior student stares the white haired girl down for a moment, his gaze holding her own fearlessly. He can see bits of the deadly fire that had been in her gaze moments just before it suddenly grew blank and focused like flipping on- or was it off?- a switch. The light there seems to make her eyes glow a vibrant emerald. Like putting a flashlight to the actual type of jewel and watching it glow. All the same, he bows his head formally, unwilling to do this as though it were an every day thing. His ankle pulses as he shifts his weight to stand on both feet fully. "Thank you for winning that race for us," he announces. He realizes that it was all of them that had worked to the goal, but it was her whom over came the distance between her and Yagami, going so far as to surpass him in the same moment she caught up. It was her who gave them that massive lead for their winning time. It was her who would ensure that he would be able to continue living in his apartment and on the allowance his bastard of a brother gives to him on a bi-weekly basis. It was her who gave him his dream of one-upping his asshole of a sibling, and going so far as to let him have good memories via the win currently at hand. She made it all possible in the end. And it is because of this he is thankful towards her. "I truly owe you".
Tatsumaki tilts her head before smirking to the bowing male in front of her. "It was nothing," she states though admittedly she did have to go into the Zone. Luckily it wasn't that much of a struggle where she had to be in that position the whole time. After all, if she uses it for too long it begins to tax her body in a negative fashion. "I'm leaving now," she announces to the Captain. Letting Aomine tug her along, tiredly waves her way around person after person. However it's not until they get into the door of her home- which is fairly impressive because it was a two hour ride- that she started to pass out.
"Oi. Wait until you get to your bed," Aomine's deep voice rumbles but is hardly processed as she leans against his arms and her legs begin to give out.
"No," she grumbles, "I'm just going to pass out here; you can leave me if you want. I really don't give a shit".
The blue haired male sighs. And here he thought she'd be far more happy to see him in the first place. All he got was a surprised and breathless 'what are you doing here' and then a struggle to get her home and away from the reporters he knows she wouldn't want to talk to. "You're an absolute idiot," he grunts in kind, not at all amused by her exhaustion but understanding all the same. The way she moved at the end, the focus on her face, screamed that she was in The Zone to him. And as someone who also can enter that place at will, he knows that it's taxing on the body even if only used for a few moments. With another grunt, he gathers the girl into his arms, hooking one of his behind her knees and the other behind her shoulders. Her head lolls onto his shoulder, her breath softly streaking across the skin of his neck causing the hairs on his arms and at the back of his neck to rise. "You're lucky I'm being nice enough to carry you to your room," he grumbles, "You owe me".
Tatsumaki's blurry gaze searches his scowling face and the disgruntled gaze he casts down at her. She cares not that she's being carried, hell one could say that she's actually quite grateful, in his arms like this as long as she's going to get to her destination in the end. Which, just as he said he was taking her there, she knows she'll make it whether she manages to stay awake until then or not. "You're the best, Aomine," she utters in one breath, "I'll give you whatever you want. Anything, you name it".
The words of promise catch the bronzed teen's attention, causing his shoulders to stiffen. However with some luck it would appear that she's too tired to take notice. "You better," he manages to grumble, through his mind wanders rapidly around trying to figure out just what he could ask of her as payment for doing this for her. By the time he kicks her door open, having used a hand to merely unlatch the handle, she is asleep. Even though it is only about five o'clock in the evening, her body is dead weight in his arms, slow heavy breaths of exhausted sleep ghosting over his neck every few seconds. As gently as he can manage he places her on the bed, though he forgoes trying to get her under the damn covers- that looks like more trouble than it's worth. Instead he merely decides he could use a nap as well, and lays down next to her. Recalling the way he had held her in his relaxed state a few days ago, his arms wrap around her waist and pull her close as he effectively spoons her. With a slow, careful sigh he forces his body to relax and not think about how nice and soft she feels against him. Instead, he slowly lets his mind fog over and fall into a world of dreams.