A/N: Hey everyone! Thank you so much for the support you guys have shown. I'm trying to update as often as possible, but my exams are in a week so this will be the last update for now, I think. I really should start studying…
Thank you to those who followed, favourited and reviewed!
As usual, reviews are very much appreciated! Please enjoy!
Edited: 9 November 2014
A/N: This chapter has been edited, please reread.
Presenting, the third chapter of Light of Seirin!
"Alright, everyone!" Riko paused for a few moments for the players to gather around her, "We have an announcement!"
Riko gestured for the taller girl beside her to continue.
"We will have a practice match against Kaijo High next week," the white-haired manager of Seirin stated in a quiet but clear voice.
This announcement incited murmurs from the players; Kaijo had a strong team and was on a national level, frequently appearing in the Inter-High. How were they to defeat them? Even if it was a practice match, it would be hard.
"They have recently acquired one of the Generation of Miracles, Kise Ryouta. This adds onto their already rather formidable strength," Hikari continued, causing the players' expressions to turn sour at the prospect of facing such a tough opponent.
"Seirin! Don't look so disheartened, we've worked hard and we could stand a chance to win against Kaijo. Ganbatte, minna!" Riko encouraged her team with a big smile on her face, her fist pumped in the air.
"Put in your best effort everyone," came the softer, but equally firm voice of Hikari.
With that, the team, now empowered with the encouragement of their coach and manager, renewed their efforts in their training. Hikari watched as the boys completed every set of exercises Riko set them, with little to no complaints, all focused on giving it their all.
She smiled. A real smile. Not the small polite one she gave her teachers and classmates, but a full smile, teeth and all. It was so unexpected that the team actually stopped to stare at the smiling Hikari. She looked so happy and at peace, a contented look in her bright blue eyes.
Riko herself couldn't help but stare at the expression on her kouhai's face; it was the happiest she had ever seen her, not that she had seen her all that often. Kuroko, while observing his cousin, was reminded of the days in Teiko, before it all happened, where she watched every practice alongside Momoi, with a smile on her face, much like the one that adorned her pretty face right now.
Hikari didn't notice the entire Seirin basketball team staring at her; she was too preoccupied with the image of teamwork they displayed even in training. With a sharp blow on her whistle, Riko signaled for the players to continue on with training.
Just then, a loud series of shrieks and squeals invaded the Seirin gym, the sounds of serious fangirling getting closer and closer to the gym. As they grew louder, the Seirin team could make out what exactly they were screaming about.
"Ahhhhhhhhh! Is that Kise-kun? Nyaaa, he's so much more handsome in real life!"
"Oh my god, it's Kise Ryouta!"
"KISE-SAMA! I LOVE YOU, WILL YOU MARRY ME?"
Soon enough, a tall blonde entered the gym, with a horde of screeching fangirls. He had almond-shaped amber eyes and an earring in his right earlobe. Dressed in the grey Kaijo uniform, he gave off a casual boyish air.
Kise Ryouta cast a look at his fans before chuckling nervously and said to the astonished Seirin basketball team, "Uh, could you give me five minutes?"
Riko barely managed to give the blonde a nod. With that, he sat aside and began to sign the autographs of his many fans, giving a charming smile to them every now and then. Finally, after the last ones were gone, Kise turned to Seirin.
"Hi everyone!" The blonde player greeted.
"Kise-kun? Why are you here?" Kuroko's voice asked the question that was on all the players' minds.
"Kurokocchi! When I heard that our next opponent was Seirin, I remembered Kurokocchi and Hikaricchi went here, so I thought I'd come say hi,." Kise answered.
"Woah! Kise Ryota, started basketball only in the middle of his second year of middle school, and immediately made it to the first string of Teiko!" one of the first-years read out from a magazine that he had apparently managed to acquire in the middle of practice.
Kise scratched his head in embarrassment, "Eh… The magazine's exaggerating… I'm actually the weakest one of them all…"
WHACK!
Kise was hit on the back of his head by Hikari's clipboard; he immediately clutched at the spot where he had been hit, crocodile tears streaming down his handsome face a second later. The white-haired girl just glared at the childish blonde.
"Itai! Hikaricchi, you're so mean!" Kise pouted childishly.
Hikari gave Kise a stern look, "That's what you get, Ryo, for interrupting our practice. Don't you have practice today?"
"Ehehe, about that… I skipped practice to come and see you guys today. Don't tell Kasamatsu-senpai," Kise gave a sheepish grin.
The rest of the Seirin team, with the exception of Kuroko, just sweat dropped. Was this guy stupid or something? His senpai would definitely know he skipped practice since he wasn't there…
Hikari looked into Kise's pleading golden puppy dog eyes for a second, giving Kise the hope that she wasn't going to spill, before saying, "I'm telling Kasamatsu-san."
Kise began to wail and cry, about how 'Hikaricchi wanted him to die', when all of a sudden, a basketball was thrown at him. Straightening up immediately, the ace of the Kaijo team caught the ball effortlessly, his earlier tears nowhere to be found.
"You. Kise Ryouta. You're from the Generation of Miracles, right?" Kagami asked, walking towards the flaxen-haired boy from the middle of the court where he had been practicing.
"Ah, yes. You are?"
Fierce crimson eyes stared into gold ones.
"My name is Kagami Taiga, and I challenge you to a one-on-one!"
The Seirin team waited with bated breath for Kise's response. Would he accept Kagami's challenge?
"Sure, I've been itching to play some basketball anyway" Kise took off his jacket and tie, walking towards the court, all traces of his hyper personality gone.
"This isn't going to be good…" Kuroko muttered to Hikari.
"Ryo knows what he's doing. Most of the time, anyway," Hikari replied.
The pair watched as Kagami was beaten by Kise, who countered using the moves Kagami had used previously, only stronger and faster. He had really changed since their time at Teiko; to be able to copy and improve a move so quickly was no small feat, he used to be able to only copy the moves at the level they were performed. This piece of information was relayed to the other curious members of the team.
When the game ended, in Kise's favour, Kise walked over to where Hikari and Kuroko were standing.
"Kurokocchi, Hikaricchi, why don't you come over to Kaijo with me? I respect you very much; Kurokocchi, but you're just wasting your talent here. Let's play basketball together again! And I miss you Hikaricchi" The Kaijo ace offered, although he looked around carefully before he said the last part, as if waiting for Aomine popping out of nowhere
Just what was this guy doing? A tick formed on both Hyuga and Riko's foreheads. Was he really trying to poach Kuroko and Hikari right infront of the entire team? Was he that stupid? Did he actually think they would let him snatch their team members?
"I'm sorry, Kise-kun. I will have to decline your offer. I am happy here at Seirin, and I believe Hikari-chan is as well," the sixth member of the Generation of Miracles inclined his head slightly at the taller boy, his features schooled into his usual emotionless expression.
"B-but Kurokocchi! Seirin sucks! Come to Kaijo!" Kise exclaimed, not noticing the rising ire of the other members of the Seirin team.
Kuroko shook his head, "I can't leave. I've made a promise to Kagami-kun."
"What promise?"
"To help him defeat the Generation of Miracles and become the number one player in Japan," this was said with such conviction that everyone stared at Kuroko, eyes wide as saucers and mouths turning into fly-catchers.
Kise broke the silence, "You're joking right? How can he beat the rest of them? He can barely even keep up with me!"
Teal blue eyes met with scornful golden ones, such seriousness was embedded in those chips of ice that Kise had to break the connection.
"Ryo," Hikari started.
"Yes, Hikaricchi?" Kise fervently hoped that she would agree to go to Kaijo with him, he missed her –ssu!
"You're an idiot."
The blonde model crumpled from his previously hopeful stance, "Why, Hikaricchi? I didn't do anything!"
Sighing, Hikari pinched his ear tightly and started dragging him out of the gym, calling over her shoulder, "Gomennasai, Riko-senpai, Hyuga-senpai! I will take care of this idiot, please continue with practice!"
Sounds of Kise resisting Hikari's hold on his ear could be heard as the pair made their way out, an occasional whine or two coming from the blonde's mouth, a reprimand following soon after.
The team just stood there, a little shocked at the events that had just transpired. Had a member of the Generation of Miracles just visited them? Won a one-on-one match with their ace? Tried to poach not only one of their players but their manager too? And then had he just been dragged out like unwanted trash by that very same manager? The world was getting making less and less sense each day.
Nevertheless, Riko barked out a short series of orders for the players to return to their previous training before the arrival of one Kise Ryouta. While his appearance had been definitely unexpected, it certainly had made the players all that much more determined to work harder to be able to defeat Kaijo in their upcoming match.
There was a new spark in their eyes, a focused gleam that had not been there before. All of them renewed their efforts to beat Kaijo in their upcoming practice match. Kuroko was, in his own little way, happy to see his ex-teammate.
After seeing how much Kise had improved, Kuroko seemed to be even more determined to fulfill his promise to Kagami. Said redhead was especially encouraged; he had another challenge to face and boy was he looking forward to it.
Riko looked on proudly as her team went through plays flawlessly, the ball passed from hand to hand in smooth movements, each of the members playing the sport they all loved with a smile on their faces. This was why she had finally agreed to be their coach; to see the players united in their goal of being the best team in Japan.
"Ryo-kun, don't be so down. You played well today, it's just that Seirin played better," Hikari attempted to comfort the sad blonde as he packed up his things, patting him on the head soothingly.
His eye twitched as he turned to his best friend with a slightly irritated expression, the sadness from his loss to Seirin not completely dissipated yet, "Wow, Hikaricchi. You really know how to comfort people."
Said girl gave an uncharacteristic closed-eye smile that displayed the smug feeling she was experiencing, "So I've been told. Now, I believe you owe me some money, Ryou-kun?"
Grumbling slightly about 'mean Hikaricchis who robbed him of his money' and how 'he should have listened to Oha Asa that morning', Kise took out 10 000 yen from his wallet and passed it to a smirking Hikari. (I've calculated that 1 000 yen in my currency is about $11, so I'm basing the amount of money Kise owes using it okay? Future money matters as well. Please take note.)
"I'll train harder, and I will beat Seirin, Hikaricchi," Kise said quietly as he handed the money over, voice filled with determination.
Hikari nodded and patted the blonde model on the cheek in thanks before skipping towards the Seirin team, who stared at her in shock. The unemotional girl was actually skipping?! Was she like Coach, who skipped every time she planned something cruel for them?
"Hikari-chan does this when she's happy. You need not fear for your lives, my friends," Kuroko assured his fear-stricken teammates, who all breathed a sigh of relief.
Frankly speaking, Hikari had been glad that Kaijo had lost, if just to rub it into the faces of the opposing team's coach, who had initially been disbelieving that Riko was their coach and not their manager. He'd even arranged for them to play only half-court, at least until Kagami had broken the hoop off of the board. The coach had hastily ordered the players practicing on the other half of the court to clear off before the game resumed once again. Well, it served him right to underestimate Seirin!
Upon reaching the team, Hikari handed half of her 'prize money' to Riko, saying, "Riko-senpai, this can go into the club budget. I don't need so much."
"Um, Hikari. Why was Kise giving you money?" Hyuga asked, eyes slightly wide at the not-so-small amount of money.
The ivory-haired manager tilted her head to the side innocently, and replied, "Ryo and I made a bet on the outcome of this practice match. He bet that Kaijo would win, and I bet that Kaijo would lose."
The unspoken I believed that Seirin would win hung in the air. Everyone's hearts swelled as they realised that their manager had so much faith in them that she risked a reasonably large amount of money for them. Riko smiled at her kouhai as she accepted the money, glad that someone believed in the team. The victorious atmosphere followed the team back to the train station.
"Let's go get something to eat," Riko suggested, prompting everyone to pull out what remaining money they had.
What money they all had formed a pitiful amount of money, even after including the money Hikari had won from Kise but excluding the amount donated to the club budget. In the end, Riko brought the team to a steak house where they would have to finish 4kg steak in 30 minutes or else they'll pay 10 000 yen each if they fail. The players all blanched at the idea of eating so much but since they had no choice, they all started eating the humongous steak that sat infront of them.
Hikari, though, decided to opt out and just watched as the boys made themselves ill by stuffing their stomachs with copious amounts of beef. Riko did the same as the only other female on the team, albeit discreetly snitching a bite or two from Hyuga's plate when the restaurant owner wasn't paying attention, to curb her hunger.
Twenty minutes later, the entire- well almost the entire, Seirin basketball team was groaning in agony at the amount of steak they had just been forced to finish; not that any of them had actually managed to finish the horrendously-sized steak. Well there was one…
Chomp. Chomp. Chomp.
"Oi, this steak is really good! Why are you guys stopping?" an oblivious Kagami wiped his mouth as he finished his own plate of steak.
Riko, seeing the solution to their steak problem, immediately instructed the other not-so-carnivorous members of the team to give the remnants of their unfinished steak to Kagami, who promptly inhaled the food he was given, much to the horror of his teammates.
Kagami burped as he finished the last of the steak, sighs of relief escaping the members of Seirin basketball; both at seeing their monetary problems vanish and being finally spared the sight of Kagami wolfing down plate after plate of sauce-covered beef.
Unfortunately, the restaurant owner had not been happy when he saw that the table of twelve (Note Hikari's addition, making the team total twelve) had actually managed to finish the required amount of steak, and had kicked them out with a warning to never return again.
Once the team had gathered outside of the steakhouse, they realised that Kuroko was actually missing. Knowing the shadow, he could have slipped out at any point of time and they wouldn't have noticed. Nevertheless, they began their search for their wayward teammate.
Kagami was about to follow his senpais in the search for Kuroko when he felt a light tug on his gakuran sleeve. Looking down, he found Hikari there, a neutral expression on her face.
"Kagami-kun, I know where Tetsu-nii is," Hikari informed the redheaded ace.
"Uh, so where is Kuroko, Shirogane?" Kagami scratched his head, much like how a monkey would do.
Without giving him an answer, Hikari started walking, Kagami huffed and quickly followed after. The two made their way to Kuroko's destination in relative silence before Hikari broke it, "Kagami-kun, do you love basketball?"
"Of course! What kind of question is that?" the crimson-haired ace answered, slightly miffed that someone would doubt his love for the sport.
Hikari didn't reply to Kagami's loud outburst and instead continued, "Why?"
Without even needing time to think, Kagami instantly replied with a large grin adorning his feral features, "I love it because I get to compete with a lot of strong opponents! I like the thrill of a challenge! After all, life is about challenges! Without strong opponents, living isn't fun. It's perfect if I can't win!"
"I…see."
Hikari observed the tall redhead, taking in the obvious joy that appeared on his face when he was talking about his favourite sport, the gleam in his eyes when he thought about facing formidable opponents, not to mention the idiotic grin that adorned his harsh features.
In a way, Kagami Taiga resembled the Aomine Daiki from two years ago; always eager to play basketball, constantly hoping for stronger opponents to face, always doing his best at both practice and in matches and playing basketball with a joyful smile.
The eagerness Kagami displayed every time they held practice matches during practice, the infectious grin he sported whenever he managed a dunk or defeated a particularly strong opponent, it all brought back memories. Memories she wasn't sure she wanted to remember. After all, memories were exactly that, a thing of the past… Never to return…
If only that him could return…
A/N: And that's a wrap my friends! Longest chapter yet :D (3318 words; yes, I've updated it)
I'm feeling proud of myself, I finished this chapter in a day; along with a lot of sidetracking. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.
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Favourites, follows and reviews are highly appreciated and welcome! Could I please have 5 reviews before I post the next chapter please? Please? I really want to know what you guys think about my story!
A/N: This chapter has been edited, the next chapter should be out soon I hope. Meanwhile, a review would be really nice :)
Thanks :D
Ja ne
Nikki