A/N: I hope you guys don't care that I mixed up the scenes from the anime and manga, as well as who they compete against. If you do care, I'm sorry – there's nothing I'm going to change.

Also, I've been getting many reviews considering the main pairing – you'll get to know it in the second book, the sequel of this one. I have no plans of changing it, so that's that.

I'll focus on some specific characters, so I apologize if I don't include a fair share of all the viewpoints of the other characters.

Chapter 12

"I was afraid she was going to break. Because I was afraid, I always wanted to be by her side."

"Tomo-chan, Ryouta, did you see my slacks? Like, the black ones?"

"I saw the blue ones."

"As if that helps anything."

Kise stared at his phone with a blank expression. He had absolutely nothing to do. It was a typical weekend, where he would end up spending his time by either practicing basketball, or rolling around the whole house. For that particular day, he chose the latter – because practice was cancelled, too.

"Nade, just wear the blue ones – I bet Eguchi wouldn't mind."

Kanade gave her sister a deadly glare. "No."

"Great, you're making everything more complicated for yourself."

Kise Kanade huffed, as she pulled Kise Ryouta by his collar and dragged him around the house, forcing him to look for the piece of clothing as well. "I'm sure they were somewhere… here? No, those are my shorts- Ryouta, can you at least make an effort to look like you're searching for my slacks?"

"What? Oh, sorry. I was… distracted." Kise looked away, as his sister shook his head and just returned to search for her slacks. There was a reasonable cause for his constant distraction. Teiko's practice session was suddenly cancelled an hour ago, as Akashi sent a group message to all the members. The reason was uninformed, and there was only the word that practice was cancelled and done for. This was extremely questionable, as they had an important match right up ahead. Although their victory was firmly assured, Teiko took precautions.

It appeared that some people had asked Akashi about the matter, but the said captain also did not know why. The topic grew bigger and bigger as the coaches had nothing to say.

"Are you serious? Midorimacchi, I thought you'd know!" The model exclaimed over the receiver.

"Don't expect me to know something that Akashi doesn't. In case you are unaware, the captain receives all the information first, who passes it onto the vice captain. It's common sense, Kise."

"But…" Kise wanted to protest, but stopped himself.

"I understand that you are frustrated – I am, too. But there is nothing we can do about it. Just wait for information to be updated. I'll constantly check on Akashi, if he has anything else to say."

"Alright. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

The call ended, as Kise put his phone down. Normally, no ordinary club would make this much of a fuss about just practice being cancelled – but things were totally different when it came to Teiko's basketball club. Never in their history ever since the club was founded, had practice ever been cancelled for no reason.

Well, we just made history. Kise clucked his tongue, leaning on the wall. He had practically called almost everyone on first string, and none of the members knew what was happening. He did everything he could possibly do, and now the only option he had was to wait for further updates, like Midorima said.

"Nee-chan, I'll take a stroll outside."

"Yeah, yeah."

Kise closed the door and looked up to see the sky that was slowly turning bright orange. He decided it was better to feed his boredom by going outside and breathing in some fresh air, rather than staying indoors. He was more of a extrovert, after all.

Walking past the convenience store, Kise stopped in his tracks and stared nostalgically at the small building. He reminded himself of the times when he used to work there – the truly depressing times where he had felt so alone, so desolate. It was Kuroko that had approached him to become a more energetic person – and that's when he realized that he could finally remove his rotting façade. The feelings he had felt during those moments might've been love – but it soon diminished and transformed into an emotion that was somewhat closer to respect.

She was his Light. Not in a romantic way, but in the savior kind. Her light rescued him, and he was walking a safer path. Kise Ryouta was grateful for everything she had done for his happiness. She may have never realized it, but that didn't matter.

Despite what others perceived, the blonde wasn't as dense as he behaved. He noticed. She was changing. Albeit the fact that she appeared stoic by nature, that wasn't what was off. Kise couldn't quite grasp what it was – but she was different. Aomine was different. Akashi was different. Perhaps he was, too.

Crash!

"Whoa, sorry –" Kise paused, as she bumped into someone while he was daydreaming. But then his face instinctively twisted into a scowl of discomfort at the sight he caught.

There was a girl – a girl he disliked. Her name was Enomoto Rina – she proclaimed that he was her "boyfriend" in front of the whole school, ignoring Kise's cries of denial. But then they soon grew distant, as she seemed to have grown evidently bored of him. Next to her was Haizaki, who looked extremely unentertained. His expression showed a hint of interest when he spotted Kise.

"Ara, isn't it Kise-kun?" Rina smiled, and Kise pulled back his urge to gag. "Shogo, this is my ex-boyfriend. Kise-kun, Haizaki-kun is currently my boyfriend. He's so cool, don't you think?"

I could care less. That's what the blonde wanted to say, but he restrained his inner desires. "I guess." Then he looked at Haizaki. The last time he saw him, he was pretty certain that Haizaki had a crush on Kuroko. "Long time no see, Haizaki-kun."

"Uh huh." The male responded, yawning soon after. "How's the small forward position going?"

"It's awesome." Kise admitted, as he went on. "Thanks for giving me the position."

"No need." Haizaki smirked, as Rina started to tug on his sleeve, because she had no idea what they were talking about. Kise could easily tell that Haizaki was annoyed the hell out, but didn't say anything. "I get it, Enomoto. Let's go. See you later, Ryouta."

For the first time, Kise pitied Haizaki.

A few days later, the whole team of the Teiko basketball club gathered in the first string gym. Coach Sanada was standing in front of all the members, his expression solemn, and both hands behind his back. He had circles under his eyes – and everyone started talking about the reason why the main coach wasn't to be seen.

Akashi cleared his throat, and raised his voice. "All attention to coach Sanada!" The whole gymnasium went silent at the rare bellow of the captain, who looked as serious as the substitute coach.

Coach Sanada looked as if he was unable to lift his face. He was simply staring at his feet for a very long time, as the team waited for the man to speak. Something wasn't right – that's what all of them could sense. When the coach finally opened his mouth to speak, his lips dry and his voice cracking, it was ten minutes after Akashi had gathered their attention.

"… Coach Shirogane collapsed two days prior."

Numbers of eyes widened in pure shock and panic, even the Generation of Miracles looking startled by the sudden news. The coach went on.

"I know this is an extremely critical moment for all of you. This is the last national competition you seniors will be participating in, and despite the fact that we are known as the invincible school; the quality of our training will affect our results greatly." The third years looked crestfallen as they listened. "It would be impossible for me to replace the gap created by Coach Shirogane's absence. But considering the current situation and his condition, it'd be futile to hope that he'd ever be able to return to the team – ever."

The vicinity was so soundless that you could hear the slightest noise of soft breathing. "We'll follow our previous practice routines. Nothing will be altered, until coach Shirogane is conscious again to give any additional orders. Dismissed!"

Nobody seemed fully satisfied at the announcement. Practice was completed without anyone uttering a single syllable. Only the rhythmic yet melancholy intonations of basketballs were audible, as well as the oddly nervous squeaks of rubber sneakers against the rough floor. Pants of frustration and concern buzzed throughout the gym, and nobody looked joyful in the slightest.

Hopeless – that was the perfect word to describe the situation of the team. Not hopeless in terms of their possibility of victory, but truly hopeless in terms of emotion. Even the most eccentric players that loved to stand out every single second remained stoic, their dunks ordinary and all shoots done without particular strength or grace.

"Akashi, are we…" Midorima gulped, as they walked back to the gym. "Are we doing the correct thing as the leaders of the team? Are we fulfilling our duties like we promised? If the team breaks apart, then –"

"That won't be happening. Not under my control." Akashi mumbled, as he packed his belongings, getting ready to go home. "Teiko will remain absolute. We cannot afford to change right now."

It already has changed, Akashi. Midorima thought bitterly. Today's announcement made everything crystal clear – he had to accept the simple, dire fact that everything had changed. "I agree." His response was dull and lifeless. His conversation was Murasakibara was vague, although it was only about a week ago. It was such a simple will, but even that was vanishing into thin air.

On the other hand, Murasakibara wasn't expressing any emotion in particular. It was the bold truth that the purple-haired male never really showed his emotions except when he was around certain people, but at the moment, he was completely expressionless. His face displayed his disinterest for his surroundings, and the only thing he ever did was run – and run endlessly.

Kise wasn't bothering to start up an energetic conversation with anyone. He was concentrating on practicing his own moves, just to distract himself from the news. Anything would do if he could forget what had just happened. Aomine was nowhere to be seen, and Kuroko was just dribbling a ball in the corner. Her eyes looked aimless, but her body was moving, as if it functioned solely on muscle memory.

Several seniors were muttering in hushed tones, their voices filled with concern. "Why at a time like this, when it's our last year here…"

"Will things go smoothly under coach Sanada's control?"

"Well, he was in charge of other strings…"

Kuroko didn't bother to catch the ball that bounced back into the air. She left it to fall back on the floor, staring at it as it rolled past several second years, that looked too occupied to even throw it back in her direction. Just when she was about to walk and grab it, Akashi appeared in front of her and picked it up. "Kuroko, are you alright?"

She blinked, finally coming back to her senses. "… Oh, yes. I'm fine."

The male looked slightly hesitant, as he didn't let go his grip on the ball. His red eyes wavered dangerously, his fingers tightening around the rubbery surface. Kuroko frowned in confusion, tilting her head to the side. "Akashi-kun?"

The red head looked up, and forced a small smile as his lips curled up. "Sorry, I dazed off. Here you go." He threw the ball into her hands, and quickly turned as he jogged towards the other hoop. Kuroko stared at his back for a while, trying to comprehend the meaning behind Akashi's reluctant silence. She could feel that Akashi was so close, yet so distant from where she was standing.

Just at that moment, Aomine kicked open the double doors and entered again. His face was plastered with an unpleasant scowl, and his hands were stuffed stubbornly inside his pockets. Nobody cared to give a second glance at him, as they were all too focused on what they were working on. The ganguro simply picked up his bag in the corner, and left again.

Kuroko, who just watched all this, opened her mouth to speak. "Um, Aomine-kun?"

He reacted by turning around, sending her a dull glance. The teal-haired girl felt her chest clench, as she grasped the hem of her shirt awkwardly. Was she always this paranoid around Aomine? "Let's… do well tomorrow."

Aomine stood there for a while, staring at her, as if in thought. "… Yeah." He said after a few long seconds. Then he didn't bother to say anything else as he departed the gym. All the other Generation of Miracles spotted this particular scene, but none of them could step up to comfort the female. Kuroko just stood there for a while, until she turned on her heels and slowly made her way towards the bench.

It was pretty dark when practice ended. The female never noticed that she had been naturally going home alone the past few days – there was no Aomine, nor Kise. The pitch-black night sky seemed to be picturing her emptiness, as it had nothing but the color black.

"Kuro-chin?" A familiar voice echoed in the dark. Kuroko immediately recognized that it was Murasakibara Atsushi.

"Murasakibara-kun?" She tried to lighten up her voice, attempting to conceal her depression. "That's rare, to see you here. Isn't your house the opposite direction?"

The giant scratched the back of his head. "One of my brothers asked me to buy them some snacks, and we don't have a convenience store near our house." Then he paused, as he scanned Kuroko's whole body, as if he was encountering a total stranger. The girl reminded herself of how Murasakibara acted when he had first met her. "Kuro-chin, you shouldn't be going home alone this late. At least have Kise-chin accompany you or something."

"It's fine, really." It was odd to have somebody like Murasakibara concerned for her. It wasn't an insult, but she was starting to realize how things were beginning to transform. Murasakibara was right – not in the kind of sense that she shouldn't be walking alone, but that she had nobody to really accompany her anymore. "Aomine-kun used to walk me home, but he seems really… well, I bet he has his own problems to take care of. He was really disappointed when he heard that the coach collapsed – coach Shirogane liked him so much, too."

Murasakibara nodded, but didn't say anything else. Kuroko went on, not wanting there to be silence. She felt like if there were any form of silence in between, her mood would only worsen. "Aomine-kun had really been on fleeting feat nowadays. His skill has improved so much, compared to his first year in Teiko. It's amazing to witness something like that in real life, to be honest."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Remember, last month when we had a match against Yoneya? Out of the two hundred points we scored, Aomine-kun did like half of them. I –"

"Kuro-chin?" Murasakibara stopped walking, his hands no longer in his grasping the strap of his bag. The girl went on, her voice was shaking, and her fingers trembled, but she went on.

"I never scored a point then, too. I really wanted to make that shot, but it missed by a few close centimeters. Aomine-kun just –"

"Kuro-chin, stop it." The purple head urged, grabbing her left shoulder. But Kuroko kept talking, to the point where she didn't even know what she was supposed to be saying. Her words got choked up in her own throat, that she couldn't even form proper sentences. "Tetsuya, please." He never called her by her first name before, ever since they met. But he was desperate to somehow get her attention.

The girl was on the verge of breaking down. Murasakibara was fearful. He had always been aware of Kuroko's condition worsening as days passed, her mental state evidently growing weaker. And because he didn't want her to break, he tried to glue her close together. But the glue wasn't showing any particular effect anymore, and was wearing off.

Kuroko looked like she was about to suffer a seizure, but then soon relaxed. She clutched on Murasakibara's jacket, and stayed like that for about two minutes. Murasakibara didn't do anything. More like he couldn't. He wasn't used to people like Kuroko, and he didn't know how comfort those in denial.

"Why can't you just…" Why can't you just stop loving Mine-chin? He really wanted to ask for the reason why – the inquiry seemed necessary. But he couldn't bring himself to put the words into reality, as the girl looked so unstable, that if she heard the name 'Aomine Daiki' she would just shatter into a million pieces. All he could do was let her clutch his shirt for however long, and nothing else.

He couldn't do anything else.

That weekend, the final match of the nationals begun.

On the way to the stadium, a little more chitchat occurred than previous days. Some first years were pretty hyped about being bench players, talking about being prepared for they didn't know when they would be able to participate. But the chances were very thin, as Teiko almost never required for an exchange in members ever since the Generation of Miracles and Kuroko took possession of the starting lineup.

The girl looked outside, until her phone suddenly beeped, informing her of the new notification. She looked at the screen, and her eyes widened with a little energy as she saw what it was.

It was Ogiwara Shigehiro.

She swiftly opened the message he sent, and skimmed through the long text.

From: Ogiwara Shigehiro

To: Me

Subject: Hey!

Hey! Long time no see, Tetsuya! How are you doing? I heard that your school made it to the final match of the nationals? Great work, I knew you would make it! I heard that your school has this Generation of Miracles, right? And you play as the Phantom Sixth Man? Well, you're a girl so does it change to woman? I have no idea.

My school almost made it, but we lost very closely against Kamata West. Man, they had these twin players that were really strong, you know? I did a really cool dunk, too. I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise this year (again, lol) but I'll definitely make it next year!

Anyway, good luck with your final match!

Kuroko smiled. She could almost feel the warmth of her old friend. He was always a friendly guy that knew how to make people laugh, no matter what sort of mood they were in. She really liked Ogiwara's personality, that way. A little more hyped, Kuroko tapped her fingers on her lap with anticipation that she had never felt in weeks.

Just when they were in traffic, five minutes away from their destination, Kuroko caught sight of a familiar face.

"Haizaki-kun…?" She whispered, but then saw him with another girl that she didn't recognize. Kuroko stared at them for a while – they looked nice together. The male wasn't exactly smiling, but that was just his nature. The bus started moving again, and Haizaki got further away from her vision.

The stadium was the same as always – gigantic. A lot of people were standing around and holding random fliers, probably parents and friends that came to cheer their friends on. Kuroko's parents never came to see, as they were busy with their work overseas all the time. She saw a few people that resembled some of her friends very much – like two blonde girls that were getting hit on by a group of men, or a towering crowd of purple-haired males and one average-sized female.

Inside the stadium, the seats were still quite empty. The only seats that were taken were because of the different schools that came to see the match. Kamata West was practicing ahead of them, the renowned twins shining amidst the crowd.

For once, Aomine looked a little itchy to be on the court. His dull eyes possessed a glint he always used to wear during his freshmen year. The female couldn't help but feel a little bit delighted along with him. Perhaps, they would succeed in their reconciliation after their match.

All the Generation of Miracles looked like they were in great condition. Their faces were lit brightly – Kuroko could tell that they were also looking forward to the match. This was rare, because most of them would usually remain dark, sitting on the benches or stretching, not feeling the need to practice a few minutes beforehand. But that day they were practicing shoots and dribbles and various drives. The shadow took this as a good sign.

The twins of Kamata West approached Akashi. "Hey, nice to meet you. Hope we have a great match together." One of them extended their hand, and the red head grinned as well.

"We are looking forward to this match. I hope we'll be able to go all out on each other."

The younger twin laughed (or at least, Kuroko assumed he was the younger twin) and spoke. "It'd be quite challenging for us to win if we don't go all out on you guys. You're the Generation of Miracles!"

"I suppose." Akashi nodded, as he resumed to his practice session as well.

Just a few minutes prior to the match, coach Sanada gathered the starting lineup members. "I saw you all stretching earlier, so I guess I won't need to talk about that. Regarding your performance on the court, however you do it doesn't really matter – just do it like you guys always do. As long as you present victory, everything will be accepted. Don't give them a chance to score."

Kuroko winced a little at the speech, but didn't complain. It was Teiko's long kept motto – that nothing other than victory would be accepted as a result. The Generation of Miracles have done exactly so, and no other junior high has managed to break their records. Coach Sanada was expecting absolute perfection from all of them.

"Understood, coach!" They said in unison, as they all stepped on court.

The tension between the two teams remained tight, as the ball flew into the air. Murasakibara was the first one to touch it, as he passed it to Midorima. They started off with a easy three-pointer that immediately changed the momentum to Teiko's side. Kuroko started running; feeling the fresh air of the stadium hit her face. The twins of Kamata West looked like they were concentrated as well, as they moved in sync with one another.

It'll be different this time. Kuroko thought firmly. It'd be just like when we first started playing, where every point mattered. She passed the ball that flew in her direction towards Akashi. The captain was elegant with his moves, thinking ahead of every step he took. The point gap started to widen.

The whistle blew a few minutes later, signaling that the first half was done. The point still showed an even difference – it was 30 to 24. All the Generation of Miracles seemed impressed on how the twins were scoring so well, despite having five of them while they had two starring members. Aomine grinned with pure bliss – he was definitely enjoying himself.

"Man, they're tough." The younger twin mumbled to his brother.

"We can still catch up. Don't stop moving." The older one replied, as they ran again. Kuroko just played her role in the shadows, acting as the silent sixth man that Kamata West scarcely ever noticed.

A few minutes into the third quarter, situations started turning for the worse. The point gap widened by ten points, then fifteen. More pants were being heard from the side of Kamata West, and their eyes displayed exhaustion and signs of giving up. Aomine's eyes started to shake again, looking uncertain as he shot a two pointer under the hoop. The defenders were beginning to falter, and not a lot of forwards came to score as well.

No. Please. Kuroko implored, hoping her wishes would reach the players on the opposing team. But the more she seemed to beg, the more hopeless the players looked. Even the energetic twins were losing their energy, their arms drooping with pain. The Generation of Miracles noticed this, and also started to return to their original selves – and they just kind of moved around the court and began to score.

When the game ended, the point gap was forty points. The twins didn't turn back to give them a second glance. They had easily accepted their defeat – that it was all over. Kuroko's heart fell to the ground. When she saw Aomine in the corner, his boring expression was back, as he picked up a bottle of water and made his way to the locker rooms.

"Aomine-kun?" She called out, but he didn't look back. She spoke a little louder. "Aomine-kun?"

This time, he turned to look at her. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know how to act in front of the male anymore. What were they now? "… Are you still waiting?" Her words seemed to be left hanging in the air, as Aomine stared at her with a blank expression.

"… What?" He replied, as Kuroko's eyes widened in shock. But they returned to their normal size again, as Kuroko's vision headed towards the ground.

"Nothing."

When she finally arrived, he was no longer there.