"I had a feeling I would find you here." Kuroko looked up to see Ishimura standing at the entrance to the court. He stopped bouncing the ball and held it quite firmly as he looked over to the hoop. The game earlier that day had tired him out, but he felt as though he needed to come to the court and practice some more. He felt as though he was falling behind. "Jo told me you're worried."
"I would appreciate it if you keep that to yourself, Ishimura-San. I have yet to tell my team how I feel," Kuroko replied. He turned to the hoop and attempted to shoot a goal. The ball bounced off the ring and flew to the side. Kuroko let out a sigh as he moved to collect the ball, but Ishimura had come inside.
She ran past him, bent her knees slightly to scoop the ball from the ground before turning. She jumped almost delicately into the air and flicked her hand, sending the ball flying through the air. It sunk into the basket with a small 'swoosh' and bounced towards Kuroko.
"You should have told them already, if you're out here at all hours."
"It is not that late tonight, Ishimura-San."
"Yeah, it's after ten, that's late for anything. Well, except studying," Ishimura laughed as she scratched her head. She didn't move closer and Kuroko picked the ball off the ground. He focused his gaze on the hoop and tried again. The ball bounced away from the backboard and Ishimura ran again. She was faster than Kuroko had expected her to be. Instead of shooting at the basket she passed it back to Kuroko, gentler than she had earlier that day.
"Did you come here looking for me?"
"Make it obvious did I?" Ishimura laughed again as she walked towards Kuroko. She was glancing towards the hoop, but when she reached the bluenette she looked back down to him frowning. "Take another shot."
Kuroko did as she asked, aiming for the basket. This one was closer than the last but it still bounced away. Ishimura stepped to the left twice, stretching her arm out and catching the ball before it could bounce. She rolled it around in her hands before looking to the hoop, still frowning.
"You look confused, Ishimura-San."
"It's just..."
"I am not very good at basketball." Ishimura looked to him, her eyes growing wide with surprise. She passed the ball back to Kuroko, scratching the back of her head.
"It's not that."
"You are not denying it."
"There is no one way at being good at basketball," Ishimura replied. She crossed her over her chest, letting out a huff before she glanced to Kuroko's hands. Whatever she was thinking she kept it to herself as she pulled her bandana from her wrist with one tug. Wrapping it around her neck she tied the back before pushing the red cloth up, pushing her fringe out of the way. Kuroko could see her face clearly and he was very surprised at the colour of her eyes. They were green, not quite the same colour as Midorima's but darker, like wet moss. She looked younger as well.
Ishimura was about to say something else to Kuroko when her phone started buzzing. She jumped slightly before pulling it out of her hoodies front pocket, thumbing the phone open before holding it to her ear.
"Yo, Shira, what's - whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down! What do you mean you're going to get killed? A giant - you're making no sense what's pocky got to do with this? Hello? What the hell - scratch that where are you... Akita? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN AKITA... I DO NOT WANT TO KNOW THAT! NO I WILL NOT COME TO AKITA ARE YOU INS... THEN BUY HIM NEW POCKY!" Ishimura started to look even more agitated as the conversation grew. Her eyebrows furrowed together and she started pinching the bridge of her nose, her voice growing louder with each sentence. Kuroko couldn't help but smile at her, she was rather amusing in an unconventional way. "No, I will most certainly not transfer money into your account... THEN PROSTITUTE YOURSELF! Yeah fuck you too."
Kuroko was very curious to know what Shira had been saying to her but Ishimura shut the phone with a snap. She shook her head before looking to Kuroko, delivering him what looked like to be a tentative smile.
"It sounds like Shira-San is in trouble."
"She'll be fine, she gets herself into shit all the time," Ishimura shook her head but ended the sentence with a laugh. She looked back to Kuroko then to the hoop. "You shoot your hoops funny."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know exactly, you just look awkward when you try to shoot, like your body doesn't like how you're trying."
"Would you be able to help me then, Ishimura-San?" Ishimura rubbed the side of her neck, biting her lower lip. She was staring back at the hoop again, trying to figure out the way Kuroko moved. He did look awkward trying to shoot, but this wasn't something she could be that helpful with. She was used to training someone who already knew how to move, not trying to help someone find that key.
Takami would be a lot more helpful with this, Ishimura thought as she looked back to Kuroko. He looked so hopeful, well as hopeful as he could look she guessed. Either that or she was just pushing his emotions higher in her mind because she felt bad about not knowing what to do.
"I don't know, but I would have to lean towards no," Ishimura admitted. There it was, that defeated look in Kuroko's eyes as the ball lowered slightly. Ishimura felt her heart tug and guilt wash over her.
"But I could help you practice lay ups. They're easier than direct shots."
"I have difficulty with lay ups."
"If you're going to blame your height be careful, Meyer can do them easily enough." Probably shouldn't mention she can jump like a fucking kangaroo though, Ishimura thought. Kuroko had that hopeful look in his eyes again. Ishimura grinned, surely he would be all right with lay ups.
...
"All right, so no lay ups," Ishimura sighed as she rubbed the top of her arm. Kuroko had tripped twice and the last time he tried the ball hit the ring and bounced back, hitting the side of his face. He was now sitting on the ground, panting and sweating. She had to admit, his lack of skill in basketball was greatly outweighed by his devotion and dedication to the sport.
"I told you, Ishimura-San, I have difficulty with lay ups."
"Yeah I remember, it wasn't that long ago. So lay ups aren't your thing, don't worry. How's your face?" Ishimura asked, crouching in front of Kuroko. She reached out and gently rubbed her thumb along his cheek, frowning. The ball bounced pretty hard against his cheek, it must have strung something nasty.
"It stings."
"You should probably get some ice on it. How far away do you live?"
"Ishimura-San, I'm sure it will be..."
"I don't know if it will swell up or not, but you should definitely get some ice on it if it stings," Ishimura replied with some authority. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him to his feet with ease, putting one hand on his back between his shoulder blades as she pushed him gently along. It had to be almost eleven by now and her mother hadn't sent her a message, which meant that she probably hadn't noticed her daughters absence.
"Ishimura-San, what about my ball?"
"The thing is almost grip-less so you're going to have to throw it out anyway. How quickly do you go through them anyway?" Ishimura looked over her shoulder to the ball. The kid goes through balls like there's not tomorrow. Kuroko was looking back to it, slightly worried but Ishimura squeezed his shoulder. "Don't worry about it, you can have one of mine."
"Where are we going?"
"Back to mine. If dad's still up he could take a look at it to see if it will bruise or not."
"You're father is a doctor?"
"You sound surprised," Ishimura laughed. He was not the first to be genuinely surprised that her father was a doctor, surgeon even. She knew she didn't exactly give off a genius air about her, btu she was just glad she recieved her mothers motivation for sports. "My house isn't too far away, just a couple blocks."
They walked most of the way in silence. Ishimura didn't remove her hand from Kuroko's back, mostly so he wouldn't disappear on her and partly because she was worried he might fall over again. He didn't exactly give off an aura of high stamina. She wasn't too worried about bringing a boy back to the house either, not after them meeting Shira.
"Is that your house, Ishimura-San?" Kuroko asked, slightly bewildered. Ishimura looked to him then looked to her house. It was a two storey home and quite wide, considering the space they had to live in. One side of the house was almost on the boundary, the other was cut off by the gate that was near Ishimura's bedroom.
"Yeah it is, come on, we'll get some ice on that." The pair walked up to the door and Ishimura opened it for Kuroko. She kicked her shoes off without much trouble, but Kuroko had to pause for a few moments to get his shoes off. Ishimura moved his shoes inside and shut the door after he moved in. Ishimura escorted down the hall into the lounge and barely managed to dodge a wayward ball come flying at her face. "Whoa, watch out!"
"Yuki-Chan, Yuki-Chan you're home!" Ishimura Gou cheered, throwing his hands up in the air. Ishimura let out a small chuckle as her youngest brother ran up to her, wrapping his short arms around her leg happily. She bent down and scooped her baby brother up into her arms, letting him sit on her hip happily. He noticed the blue haired boy behind her and hid his face into her shoulder, peeking at Kuroko shyly. "Yuki-Chan, why is he here?"
"Basketball little man. Kuroko, this way." Ishimura nodded and walked towards the kitchen. Kuroko followed, with Gou not taking his eyes off the strange boy behind them. He tugged occasionally on Ishimura's collar, whining and mumbling about the strange boy behind them. Ishimura wanted to comment about why the three year old was up this late, but figured he had snuck out of his bedroom. She put Gou on the counter and turned to the fridge. Ishimura opened the freezer door and pulled out an ice pack. She stepped to the oven and pulled a hand towel that was dangling on the side. Wrapping the pack gently, she wondered if her dad was still up to ask him to check Kuroko's cheek.
"Ano, Ishimura-San." Ishimura turned to Kuroko and burst out into laughter. Gou was standing on the counter, one hand of stubby little fingers curled around Kuroko's collar to keep him steady, while the other was pulling on his blue hair with interest. Kuroko looked slightly uncomfortable but didn't pull away from the young boy, who looked quite amused and let out a high peal of a giggle when he tugged on his hair once more.
"Looks like Gou likes you," Ishimura laughed as she handed him the ice pack. She picked Gou up with one arm, hugging him close to her as he made a sound of irritation before nuzzling in close to her neck. Ishimura already knew he was falling asleep and would crash before she knew it.
"Thank you, Ishimura-San."
"Why do you stay so late at that court?" Ishimura questioned, moving one hand to Gou's back and gently rubbing. Better for the kid to fall asleep now she could put him to bed and walk Kuroko home. She felt bad for the guy to have to walk all the way by himself.
"I thought we have already discussed this."
"Why do you go alone? Why not practice with someone else? What about Kagami?"
"I would not like to discuss this."
"Alright I can take a hint. How's your cheek?" Ishimura changed the subject quickly. Kuroko looked grateful and he pulled the ice pack away from his cheek. He touched the skin gingerly with his other hand but didn't grimace.
"I am feeling better. As I said, I do not think the ice was necessary," Kuroko said. Ishimura rolled her eyes, looking down to Gou. He was asleep already, which wasn't a surprise because he was way past his bed time. Kuroko leaned forward, looking to Gou with a slight smile on his face, when Ishimura's hand reached out. She grabbed his collar, pulling him forward as a wayward ball almost hit him in the face. It bounced off the fridge and Ishimura turned, making sure it didn't bounce back and hit Gou. The ball bounced off her back, settling on the ground.
"Hiruko, what the hell?" Ishimura snapped, turning to see her other two brothers standing at the door. The younger of the pair, Satoshi, looked sheepish, tugging on his older brothers sleeve, sightly upset that they had been caught. Hiruko just stood there scowling, his arms over his chest. "And what are you doing up? You should both be in bed."
"We heard you come home, who is he? Who said he could come into the house huh? How do you know him?" Hiruko demanded, moving his hands to his hips as he glowered at Kuroko. Ishimura smacked her hand to her forehead, groaning. Now was not the time for her brother to turn into this hopelessly overprotective moron that was about five feet tall. She was ready to scold the ten year old rather furiously, but Gou was asleep and she didn't want to wake him up.
"Oniichan, I told you we should have stayed in bed. Yuki-Chan is cranky," Satoshi mumbled with tears beginning to spring into his eyes, looking shyly at Kuroko from behind his brother. Kuroko looked from the boys to Ishimura, who looked like she was halfway between apologising to Kuroko and yelling at her brothers. She readjusted how she was holding Gou, who didn't even stir.
"Satoshi, come here, I think you all need to go to bed. Where are mum and dad?"
"Mum is in bed, but dad isn't home yet," Hiruko snapped back at Ishimura. Ishimura rolled her eyes. Satoshi had trotted over to Ishimura, wrapping his arms around Ishimura's leg and burying his face in her thigh. She immediately dropped her hand, ruffling his hair and looking over to Kuroko.
"I need to get these three back into bed, just wait here and then I'll walk you home."
"You can't just leave the house Yuki-Chan, I will tell mum and..."
"Who's the one throwing balls around in the house, at guests?" Ishimura shot back, pointing her tongue out at Hiruko and trying to hide her grin. Kuroko just nodded and Ishimura leant down, balancing Gou on one hip and letting Satoshi grip her shoulder. She put her arm behind the seven year olds leg and lifted him up. He was a lot heavier than Gou but she could easily balance the two. "Come on Hiruko, we have to go to bed."
Hiruko looked like he wasn't going to go anywhere. He stood still in his spot and stared at Kuroko, his eyes narrowed slightly. Clearly he wasn't too keen on the idea of Kuroko staying in the room by himself, and Ishimura groaned.
"Yuki-Chan, will you read me a story?" Satoshi mumbled, tugging on her collar and drawing her back to her current problem.
"I'm putting these two into bed, then coming back for you Hiruko. Understood?" Hiruko nodded, not taking his eyes off Kuroko and Ishimura sighed. She shot Kuroko an apologising look and disappeared out the kitchen, careful not to jostle Gou around too much.
Hiruko stared where he was at the entrance of the kitchen, staring at Kuroko. The latter put the ice pack back to his cheek, looking back at the young boy at the door. He was tall, but he sounded young and Kuroko couldn't place his age.
"Who are you?"
"I am Kuroko Tetsuya. I play for Seirin."
"You don't look like a basketballer. You're short and spindly." Hiruko tilted his head as he spoke, narrowing his eyes even further. Kuroko blinked back at him, picking him to be Ishimura's brother. They both shared that same coloured eyes, though Hiruko's hair was much lighter than Ishimura's. "And sitting on the bench doesn't count as playing either."
"I don't sit on the bench, I play."
"They must be short players then."
"We have four reserves."
"Then they're desperate."
"All are spectacular players."
"Then they pity you."
"I am sorry, Hiruko-San, have I given you a reason to dislike me?"
"You shouldn't be around my sister."
"And you should be in bed and stop being rude to your Sempai's," Ishimura appeared behind her brother, bending down and grabbing him by the arm. She hoisted him up over her shoulder's with ease, though he was clearly irritated by the motion. He let out a yelp and kicked his feet but Ishimura was unaffected. She disappeared back out of the kitchen, leaving Kuroko alone.
He could hear Hiruko arguing with Ishimura as they walked up the stares and Ishimura telling him to shut up every few seconds. Their voices eventually became muffled as the door shut and a few minutes later there was silence. Then the sound of heavy footsteps down the stairs. Ishimura reappeared, a basketball in her hands. She threw the ball to Kuroko gently and the latter caught it with one hand.
"Ishimura-San, it is not necessary..."
"Come on, I'll walk you home. The boys won't be getting up again," Ishimura smiled, though she looked worried.
...
The walk back to Kuroko's house was quiet. He was unsure as to whether or not he should start a conversation and Ishimura, for once, didn't bother trying to say anything. She walked with her hands resting behind her head, her elbows up and out, swaying gently side to side with each step. Her eyes were staring out in front of her, she hadn't looked to Kuroko once since they had left the house.
"Ano, Ishimura-San, is everything all right?" Kuroko asked quietly. Ishimura turned to him, her eyes looking slightly dazed as she nodded her head gently.
"Hiruko was acting up, sorry about that. He never used to, not since..." Ishimura trailed off, turning to look in front of her again. She didn't say anything but Kuroko was very curious about what may have happened. Ishimura didn't continue, just walked. They were almost back at Kuroko's house when she stopped, looking at him with a cloudy gaze.
"Is everything all right, Ishimura-San?" Kuroko questioned. Ishimura looked down, ringing her hands together as she mulled over her thoughts with worry. She had no idea whether or not she should tell him, but after the way Hiruko had acted she knew that she had to give him something.
"I should be getting back home," Ishimura muttered. She turned around without saying good bye, leaving Kuroko standing on the side walk quite confused, holding an icepack to his cheek and cradling a basketball with his other arm.