A/N: Sorry for the huge wait guys! I honestly gave up on this story before, but seeing the favs and followers gave me more inspiration. So, here's chapter one! Also, I updated the summary a bit for more plot to this fanfic.

Disclaimer: I don't own KnB, I only own the female team and other characters you do not recognize in this story.

Chapter 1: Suspicious

Even before the game has even commenced, the boys were extremely confused at the girls' so called strategy.

"What do they think they're doing? This isn't their usual formation." Moriyama questioned quietly, so the girls wouldn't hear them from the opposite side. Kasamatsu sighed and shook his head; he already knew they were up to no good, and knowing the player's abilities, he had an idea of what was going to happen.

The girls were typically at a certain location due to their position, scattered about in the court so that they wouldn't leave a spot open. This time however, each girl was at a different location, in another area. Hotaru, who was a power forward, wasn't near the basket at all. Mayumi, the center, wasn't near the basket either. The other players, typically supposed to be outside the three point line or a bit farther from the basket was near the basket this time.

"Keep your eyes wide open." He simply told them, pushing Kobori forward for the tip off.

"You got this Hotaru!" Mayumi smirked, slapping the older girl's shoulder as she walked to the center of the court for the tip-off. Hotaru was unusually tall for a girl her age, closely teetering to a 5'10"; if anyone even bothered to take a good look at her, it was because of her height. The girl honestly had pretty average looks, which she was honestly glad of.

She crouched down in position and tapped the ball after Kobori did. The referee threw the ball up and both of them sailed up to get the ball, but with Kobori's height, she couldn't beat him at all. "Shoot." She cursed lightly under her breath, running back to her side of the court, near the three point line.

Kobori passed the ball to Kasamatsu, who then gave out orders to the team before quickly dribbled down the court. Mayumi ran forward and guarded him, trying to steal the ball. Kasamatsu stealthily handled the ball with a few cross-overs, making sure his arm prevented her from stealing the ball as he dribbled. He glanced around and noticed their shooting guard was wide open. Hotaru ran in front of Moriyama once the ball left his hands, only to have Kise grab the ball and dribble it to the basket.

She clicked her tongue in annoyance, but continued to guard Moriyama as she watched Natsuko try to stop Kise from scoring a layup.

The net swished when Kise unfortunately made the shot. Natsuko apologized cooly to them, since Kise managed to get past her guard and score the layup. Keiko took out and passed the ball to Mayumi, who began to dribble down the court as the other girls followed her.

Hotaru sighed again, jogging after them while looking down at her legs. She bit her lip in anxiety of what may happen next.

This was going to be a long game.

It was the end of the third quarter, and both teams are exhausted. Currently, the male team was in an eight point lead, but they were on a two minute break before the fourth quarter started. Hotaru could feel her knees shaking right about now and yes, they did ache, but what could she do about it? There wasn't enough time for her at all.

She let out an annoyed groan and in frustration, gulped down the rest of her water in the bottle and tossed it behind her in the recycling bin. She could only hope that it wouldn't happen that game.

"Break time over!" The referee shouted, notifying the players. Everyone stood up at once, finishing up their breaks before running back to the court to start the last quarter.

Before Hotaru knew it herself, the game had already begun with Keiko getting the ball this time. She dribbled it to the other court and went past Moriyama, bounce-passing the ball to Ryoko. In return, Ryoko quickly shot the ball from her spot directly behind the three point line and it luckily made it inside the net, making them five points away from a tie.

They all ran back, ready to block any passes and shots, eager to win their points back. Hayakawa passed it to an empty spot, with Kise appearing there in a flash. He caught the ball and shot the ball, imitating what Ryoko had done just moments ago. Hotaru, who happened to be nearby him ran in front and jumped up. Her left leg immediately jolted and weakened immediately, but even so, her fingers grazed against the ball and almost disrupted the ball's way to the basket.

The ball bounced on the rim once and then landed inside the net, making her growl lowly in her own frustration with her failures. She didn't even pay attention to the fact that she fell back on her bottom, her hand clutching her left knee.

Kise noticed the girl's apparent injury as it looked like it, and bent down to her level in concern while holding out a hand. "Hey, Hotaru-chan, you okay?" She glanced up at him and nodded, taking his outstretched hand while he supported her up.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She answered, stumbling a bit as she let go, but massaged her left knee a bit before jogging to the other side of the court without another word.

"Hey, I thought I told you to visit a doctor." Natsuko whispered to her, eyes still locked on who they were playing against. Hotaru nodded again, replying, "Yeah, I did. He said it was just a pulled muscle, and that I was overworking my knees."

"Well, it should get better soon. You've been using a variety of stuff for your knee." Natsuko noted, their small chat stopping as they focused completely on the game.

Hotaru let out a shaky breath, her shoulders slumping slightly.

Yup, you're right.

It should.

The scrimmage ended with the boys winning, 106-100 in all. This has disappointed the ladies, but it made them fired up for the next scrimmage. Of course, they planned on winning. Despite the fact that they were technically allies, they were still rivals in the basketball world even if they'll never play an official match against each other.

"Are you sure you're okay, Taru-chan?" Ryoko looked up at Hotaru with worried eyes, while the latter laughed slightly. "Yeah," she said, waving a hand around. "Don't worry, I'm fine. It'll cure." She reassured her, making Ryoko's eyes lighten up as she let a lopsided grin stretch across her features. "Alright!" She cheered, giving the captain a side-hug before grabbing her things and leaving the gym. After a few minutes, she ended up almost alone in the gym.

"So," Hotaru drawled out, turning around to face her coach as she slung a backpack over her shoulder. "What did you want to ask me about, coach?"

"Your knees, Nagasawa." He told her the subject of their conversation immediately, while it only made her frown. "What about them?"

He exhaled a breath of air before continuing on seriously, "I'm starting to think that knee of yours isn't really a pulled muscle."

She felt her breath being caught in her throat as she heard this. She gulped, feeling her throat starting to become dry. "S-So, what do you mean?" She asked nervously, hoping he wouldn't say what she think he would say.

"Take a break from the basketball team, Nagasawa and rest your knee."