"You were rude to Aomine back there you know Ishimura," Shira mumbled as they trailed slowly down the street. Ishimura was clicking her tongue, still reeling from the game they had played earlier. Ishimura didn't reply, just stomped her feet slightly harder on the ground. Her sour mood was getting worse, but Shira wasn't entirely sure what had set her mood off. Sometime during practice at Iwozuka, Ishimura had turned completely down. That was why they left to go to Maji, only there they found Kagami and then Aomine. She didn't even get a chance to get something to eat because 'someone' had ordered all the waiting burgers and... "Where the hell did you get that?"

"Kagami," Ishimura choked back through her mouth full of burger. Shira had no idea where the girl had pulled it from and frankly, she wasn't that desperate to find out.

"I don't remember Kagami offering you a burger, Yuki-Chan."

"He didn't," Ishimura muumbled as she sunk her teeth into the burger bun. Shira grimaced as she began chewing, having too much of a mouthful and not being able to seal her lips together. Looking up to the sky, that was shifting from blue to orange as the sun was setting, Shira wondered what was going to happen now. Part of her had wanted to beg Meyer to let them play Kagami, well Seirin as a whole, but the way Meyer had spoken had been absolute. Which was strange, really, because Seirin would prove to be a strong opponent even if they were defeated by Touou.

"You know, we could have had a fun game if you didn't snap."

"I didn't want to play with Aomine."

"You could have put your prejudice against him aside and..." Ishimura stopped, her brows furrowing together as she glared at her friend. Shira only noticed after she couldn't hear the happy humming of her friend munching on the burger, turning on her heel and looking to where Ishimura was standing. Her eyes slid to the burger for a second, her eyebrows raising when she saw there wasn't much of it left.

"I don't want to play with Aomine, Tamiko," Ishimura repeated slowly, her mouth completely empty of food. The expression was similar to the one she'd had on her face right before she was set off back at Iwozuka, her pupils slightly dilated and her nostrils flared, but now her cheeks were slightly rosied. Ishimura crumpled the burger into it's wrapper before stuffing it into the pocket of her pants - no doubt saving it for later - before reaching up for the red bandana that was holding her fringe back. She hadn't taken it down after their match, which was strange for her, and Shira was only noticing just now.

"What set you off at the gym?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Ishimura muttered as she wrapped her fingers around the red cloth, yanking it down to sit around her neck. Her eyes slid to the ground as she begun walking forward. Shira bit her lip, watching as her friends shoulders slumped unhappily and quickly followed after her.

"You know Yuki-Chan, if somethings going on, you can talk to the team," Shira offered but Ishimura shook her head. Crossing her arms over her chest, the latter pulled her chin closer against her chest, nuzzling into the bandana slightly. She knew Shira was only trying to help, and Ishimura was more than aware that her outbursts were unnecessary. It wasn't like she had meant to be get so angry at Iwozuka, or be so cold to Kagami or even call Aomine a dumbass, but her temper felt like it was on a short leash. How was she meant to talk to the team about what was troubling her, when it was the team itself?

...

Ishimura couldn't sleep. She pulled the blanket down from over her face and stared up at the dark expanse of her ceiling. She should have been tired, after splitting off from Shira she'd returned to Iwozuka and run the track until the sun had disappeared and then some. Her mother had pestered her about returning home late, her father had saved her some sushi because he knew she would be hungry and then her brothers had demanded she play tag with them. By the time she'd managed to drag herself into the bed, her feet were aching, her mind was empty and her feet were telling her she wasn't going to be walking for twenty five years. And yet, she lay there for what felt like hours, unable to fall asleep.

Sitting up she heard her back release a series of cracks. She stretched up high before throwing her legs over the edge of the mattress onto the ground. Standing, Ishimura's legs were holding her with ease, already forgetting that she had pushed herself earlier. Searching under the bed for her phone - a habit she had created in middle school so she wouldn't just hit snooze - she checked the time. It was a little after midnight and Ishimura thanked her lucky stars that tomorrow was a day off school.

Standing again she walked over to her cupboard, grabbing a loose hoody and clumsily pulling it over her head. She reached down for her trainers and pulled them on with little effort, not bothering to do up the laces and walking to the window. Her father wasn't too fond of midnight escapades but he wasn't the one to chastise her, her mother on the other hand would put bars on her windows and a lock on her door, muttering about how her 'precious little Yuki-Chan' shouldn't be doing anything after the sun went down.

Gripping the window frame tightly she pulled it up roughly, sticking her leg out and squeezing through. Ishimura could remember how much easier this was when she was in middle school, now it felt as though she had to turn herself into jelly to sneak out. At least her parents had given her the bedroom on the first floor. Stumbling on the concrete slightly, she turned and pulled the window back down, hearing it latch from the other side. Sneaking out through that window was easy, getting back in though she would have to come in through the back door. She had hidden a spare key in the boys turtle pond years ago, so she didn't have to worry about carrying keys around.

Pulling the hood over her head she ran to the gate that her mother had locked earlier that night and leapt up, grabbing the top easily and yanking herself upwards. At least her height helped her in this part of her escape. Ishimura kicked on the wood and flipped over, landing uneasily on her feet and almost falling on her face. She only just managed to gain her balance before cracking her knuckles. A nice midnight run should be enough for her to become sleepy and she started off with a small jog. She already had her track in mind, swing by the basketball court ten blocks away, head up towards Shira's house than cut through the small park and race back home. She should be home within the hour and hopefully no one wakes up and finds her absent.

Ishimura felt a smile grow on her face as she heard her feet slap against the pavement. She would have joined the track team years ago if she hadn't been so invested in the basketball team. It wasn't that she didn't love basketball nor that Meyer was adament she had to stay - in fact when Ishimura had been caught staring at the runners just before practice one day Meyer had tried to convince her to go join them - but sometimes Ishimura thought about quitting and joining a new team. Then she would be on the court and completely forget all desires about track.

The thump thump thump of a basketball hitting the ground caught her attention and Ishimura looked to the left. She was surprised there was someone else out at this time of night, well someone playing basketball that was. The court only had one light near the left goals, the other had been broken after an agruement between two testosterone driven teams, but it was enough for her to see the teen standing there.

"Hey!" The word flew from Ishimura's tongue before she had a chance to stop it. Without even thinking about it, she slowed down her job by the entrance to the court, catching herself on the pole making the space and swung herself in. By now Kuroko was holding the ball, watching her with almost blank eyes. Ishimura wasn't certain what she was going to say to him, nor did she know why exactly she had called out to him. She must have looked strange as well. Her pyjama bottoms consisted in whatever shorts she had been wearing that day, so she was still wearing her navy coloured three quarters from earlier, her oversized grey hoody (whose hood had slipped from her head when she'd heard the basketball) and a pair of raggedy trainers that had seen better days. She must have looked a treat.

"Good evening, Ishimura-San," Kuroko said as she approached him. Ishimura was surprised he still remembered his name but figured she must have been a little too rude. She scratched the back of her head awkwardly as she looked down to him, her eyes shifting to the ball to make herself more comfortable.

"What are you doing out so late for, Kuroko-San?" Ishimura mumbled before pointing to the basketball in his hands. "Bit late for practice, isn't it?"

"I am not the only one out."

"I was jogging, not standing alone in a court. Besides, I can handle myself if something were to happen. I'm more intimidating." Ishimura added the last comment meekly, motioning to the obvious height difference between the pair. Kuroko blinked at her before lowering her hands, still cradling the basketball carefully. "You didn't answer my question either, y'know."

"I was practicing." Ishimura reached out and gently pried the ball from Kuroko's hands. The teen seemed fragile, especially with the bags under his eyes, and Ishimura wondered if he'd simply lost track of time while he was out her. She turned the ball over in her hands, feeling how smooth the leather had turned before eyeing him up carefully. He had been more than just training, the ball was raw and pretty much useless now, the grip had be worn off.

"You can't train with a ball like this Kuroko-San, and I can't just let you stay here either. Something might happen to you," Ishimura muttered as she handed the ball back to him. She scratched the back of her head again, looking around to the street. There was no one around as far as she knew, and she had come out to get some exercise to tire her out. "Come on, I'll walk you to yours."

"That is not necessary, I am more than capable..."

"Eh, come on, I was going for a run anyway," Ishimura interrupted, slapping Kuroko hard on the back to push him towards the gate. She must have done so a little too hard because he stumbled, almost dropping his ball and looking back to her with slightly widened eyes. She shrugged her shoulders lightly as she mumbled an apology and jumped forward to walk beside Kuroko. he looked like he was going to object, but she shoved her hands deep in her pockets and leant her head back, catching a glimpse of the moon before it was covered by clouds.

"Ishimura-San, may I ask a question?"

"You just did."

"Meyer-San, she..."

"I don't know what Meyer said to you and Kagami, but it has nothing to do with me."

"You do the same, Ishimura-San. You speak with little honorifics."

"Huh?" Ishimura turned to Kuroko, one eyebrow raised as his comment caught her off guard. What the hell does anything have to do with honorifics? She stared at Kuroko for a few seconds. He seemed to be very polite, and if she thought about it every time he refered to someone he added honorifics, so that may be why he was asking."Meyer always seems to leave them off if she isn't talking to an adult. It's rubbed off on all of us, except Shira, she's pretty good when speaking to someone."

"Meyer-San, where is she from? She sounds, strange, when she speaks."

"She's lived in Japan pretty much all her life, but she was born in France because that's where her mum is from. Her dad grew up in Japan but is from America. Her little brother doesn't sound as, well foreign, as Meyer," Ishimura shrugged. Kuroko seemed to take her words in as they walked next to each other silently. Ishimura didn't mind the silence that much and part of her thought that Kuroko didn't mind it either. Part of her felt as though she should have asked how far away Kuroko lived, partly to have been polite and partly because she didn't want to be out all night if he lived an impossibly long distance.

Ishimura looked to Kuroko out the corner of her eye, taking in the teen next to her. She had always known that he was shorter than his team mates, but she hadn't expected him to be taller than Meyer, albeit not by a large amount. His expression was blunt, almost empty most of the time and his eyes were the same colour as his hair, pale blue. Ishimura wanted to reach out and pull on a strand just to see if the colour was natural or dyed like Shira's. He looked younger than sixteen as well, but there was something cute about him.

"Kagami-Kun was disappointed when Meyer-San said she would not let the team play Seirin," Kuroko mumbled when they were close to the lights. Ishimura jumped slightly in surprise when he spoke, catching her off guard, and then she frowned. Meyer refused to let the team play Seirin and they ended up playing Aomine briefly? What the hell was she thinking?

"What did she say?"

"She said that because Seirin did not make it to the finals, she would not play us. Meyer-San was rather angry with Kagami-Kun."

"He mention something about her being afraid to play him?"

"Yes, I believe he did."

"That would have been it," Ishimura laughed, "Meyer doesn't take kindly to people insinuating she fears losing." Kuroko stopped walking, causing Ishimura to match him. She stood quite still, waiting for him to begin walking again but he was frowning and watching her carefully. Ishimura raised both eyebrows before reaching out to gently ruffle his hair. "You tire yourself out playing ball? I can give you a piggy back if you want."
Kuroko knocked her hand away, looking more irritated than tired. Ishimura let out a small chuckle and shrugged her shoulders, looking up the road and then back to Kuroko, waiting for him to begin walking again. She highly doubted he lived out the front of a primary school.

"I am not a child, Ishimura-San."

"I've carried Jo and Shira home from practice before, not everything is a dig at your size y'know."

"Jo?"

"Our centre, you would have seen her in Maji, she's not exactly hard to miss. Come on, I know tomorrow's a day off and all but we can't exactly be out all night. You're parents must be worried."

"I called my mother and let her know I would be out late, it should be fine."

"Kuroko, it's almost half past twelve." Kuroko blinked twice at her and didn't say anything, but he looked confused. Ishimura sighed, pulling her mobile out of her pocket and checked to make sure her mother hadn't woken and tried to call her in worry. There was no call, not even a message and her stomach settled happily.

"Come on, you really do need to get home because I do."

"I am sorry, Ishimura-San, for keeping you from your run. I am fine to make it home from here." Kuroko turned and walked away from Ishimura. She stepped twice after him, considering to follow him home anyway to make sure he didn't run into trouble, but when she looked down to her now buzzing phone, she lost complete sight of him.

"Huh," Ishimura muttered before clicking the accept button on her phone. "Hey Takami, can't sleep either?"