The alarm clock rang, waking up a disoriented teenage girl. The confused teen blinked a few times to clear the images from her mind, keeping her dreams and the reality apart with increasing clarity. "Shee," she released a breath, her hand already moving to run through her blond locks, only that her fingers halted when they bumped into a knot.
"Akira!" her head whipped up just in time to see a figure barge into her bedroom, fuming. She grinned at the irritation clear on her sister's face.
"Morning Hikari~" she waved from her spot on the bed, watching as her sister's scowl deepened before the younger sibling launched herself at Akira. "Oi!" she dived out of the way just in time, but consequently fell off the bed, tangled in her two blankets. Her eyes squinted up at the form standing proudly on her bed, the alarm clock finally turned off. "Oi! Get your dirty feet off my bed!" she pointed at her imouto before quickly freeing herself from the clutches of the blankets and flinging her body at Hikari's legs, successfully holding them together and making the younger girl tumble backwards, her head hanging over the edges of the bed, shoulders resting on the edge from where they hit it.
"Hey! You could've broken my neck if I hit it on the hard bed frame!" Akira rolled her eyes and let go, tracking her sister's movements carefully. Her sibling was fine, if not slightly sluggish from a lack of rest. 'No wonder,' she mused to herself before glancing at the silent alarm clock on her nightstand. It was five in the morning.
Her attention went back to Hikari. "You're fine. Who do you think I am? An abusive older sister?" Her reply only fueled the small flame in the youngster.
"Yes!I'm telling on you!" the girl went to scramble off the bed, but Akira grabbed her sister's leg and grinned as her sister stumbled, falling onto the ground next to the bed, right onto the blankets, lessening the blow to Hikari's iron-head. "Mama!"
"Oi!" Akira protested, but she knew it'd be futile. Sighing, she let go of the ankle in her left hand and sank back into the soft mattress under her. Hikari quickly took the chance and ran out of Akira's bedroom. She had been taught to never use crude language and very much respected her grandmother's tries at teaching her proper manners. Akira prided herself in having never cursed. Insulted anyone? Of course, but never used any foul words. It'd leave a bitter taste in her mouth otherwise.
But she always felt the need to curse like a sailor when her sister got like that. Little Hikari was a light-sleeper and irritatingly enough, Akira's room was right next to hers. Meaning, the alarm clock usually also woke up Hikari. The blond teen usually blamed it onto the fact that the girl was just hyperactive and had a lot of energy bundled in her small form, which she didn't use up to be tired enough to sleep peacefully. Being two years younger and in Teiko's second year, Hikari hadn't chosen a club since none had interested her. And now Akira would have to face her mother's tirade on behaving and not roughhousing with Hikari.
"AKIRA!" she winced and quickly shot out of bed, grabbing the blankets off the floor and shaking off any dust before placing them back on her bed. Changing into black leggings and a short-sleeved shirt, she bolted downstairs.
Her try at reaching the entrance was useless, because her mother was standing right in front of the door, cutting off her escape route. There would've been another option, but now that her mother had seen her, it'd be pointless to try another escape. "Yes?" she asked, hoping the innocent way she acted clueless would work like it did occasionally, but no such luck.
"I've told you to be more careful with Hikari. You can't be so rough with her, she's not a rascal like you've been at that age." Akira held back from rolling her eyes as a spark of guilt ran through her. "What if she hit her head? Or neck? It could've left some serious damage," her mother chided and then sighed, eyes closing as a hand reached to massage her temples. "Honestly. You're still a troublemaker, robbing your sister's rest."
That comment extinguished any kind of guilt for her sister and she looked to her left, and sure enough, her little sister was shifting in the doorway to the living room. The smug look didn't seem to last for long when she met Akira's gaze and the small blond darted towards their mother, knowing it was the safest place for now.
Akira had in fact been kind of a troublemaker as a child, but not the kind that would've done lasting damage on accident. She learned from past mistakes and tuned it down, for her mother's temper was something to be wary of. And teenage rebellion hadn't yet set in.
"Mom..." she started, but her confidence decreased as she met her mother's disapproving gaze, identical orbs staring at each other. "I knew what I was doing and you know as well as I that she'd have been fine." It meant she had done it intentionally, but had been confident that Hikari wouldn't have been harmed in the process. "She even landed on the blankets when she fell off the bed," she added as an afterthought. The angle, the speed, the force, everything had indicated that no damage would've been brought upon her little sister. 'But the kid of course hadn't taken it well and ran to mom about it,' she thought sourly, eyes glancing at her sister, hiding behind their mother.
"But still." Her mother looked like she wouldn't let it go. "Anyway. It's your first day of high school, shouldn't you go catch some more sleep?"
Akira's shoulder sagged slightly, relieved that her mother did let it go. She still caught the look of displeasure on the brat's face and internally growled. Had Hikari wanted that she'd some kind of lecture or worse, her usual punishment? The idea made her feel betrayed, Hikari knew what it would mean. No basketball, nor dancing for a period of time, set by her mother. 'That little...'
"No. I was planning on going for a jog, but it'll have to be cut shorter than it usually is," she answered.
Her morning routine started at five in the morning. Waking up, Akira always changed into her running attire and just brushed her teeth and combed her hair before going for a jog. Well, and peacefully drank a glass of water, or two, depending on how she woke up. That took five to ten minutes before she ran for half an hour.
After that, she showered and blew-dried her hair, readying herself for school. And she wouldn't have to take the train anymore, since Seirin was just a ten minutes walk from her home.
"Do you have everything though?" she nodded and her mother sighed before placing a hand on Hikari's shoulder and forcing the girl towards the stairs. "Just don't take too long. School starts at seven, so don't be late." Akira nodded and darted down the hall to the kitchen to get some water into her system before the run. And then she was off, running at a pace that was neither fast nor slow. Jogging in the morning always filled her with energy, successfully waking up her mind. It even gave her the opportunity to think about things in peace.
Her run would be five minutes shorter than usual, and her mind was also wide awake. Thanks to her devious sister.
She didn't hate the small blond, but Hikari also made it harder to be affectionate towards her. She always clung to their mom and didn't express any interests in anything other than books. Her academics were better than what Akira's had been in middle school, and she was enrolled at Teiko solemnly because of didn't really bother Akira, being jealous of her little sister's achievements would only be immature and a show of insecurity. She knew where her strengths and weaknesses lied, and she was proud of Hikari that the small girl knew her own. What did bother her was that Hikari seemed to reject any attempts at bonding with her older sister and then getting her in trouble. Her mother's sole weakness was that she saw Hikari as the weaker of the two, seeing as she was younger and smaller. They already knew Hikari wouldn't be as gigantic as Akira's 6'1'' frame, most probably growing up to reach an average height. So her mother always took Hikari's side, seeing as Hikari was 'more delicate'.
"Gah," she grumbled, kicking a stone in her path and evading running into a pole. The stone hit the pole and the sound further irritated her.
The mystery of why her imouto wasn't affectionate to her was troubling. And with Hikari pouting over Akira not being punished, the mystery would remain unsolved for some time. Stubborn brat. Releasing a breath, she came to the realization that she hadn't brushed her teeth before taking off. Nor had she even looked in the mirror before leaving the house, or combed her hair.
She reached her house five minutes later than she normally would and went straight to the bathroom. Only, it was being occupied by her little sister.
Knocking on the door, she grumbled to herself. "Akira?" the smugness was palpable in Hikari's voice and the older sibling was ready to take the door off its hinges and knock some sense into her sister. "Take the other bathroom! It's my turn!"
"You little devil- You're always ready by now!"
"It's called growing up and entering my teens. Girls need to look good!" she couldn't have come up with less of an excuse in Akira's opinion. Hikari was naturally pretty, taking after their mother in everything except the eyes and height. It was probably their grandmother's fault for being short. She was positively seething.
Her first day of high school couldn't have started worse. Or it could. She could have ran late with her run and been unable to shower before going to school. The thought gave her chills. Being sweaty was alright in her opinion, but only when you're playing basketball, dancing or doing any other sport and then shower. But going smelly to school? Kind of a nightmare to Akira.
Calling for their mom wouldn't help since she knew the other bathroom was unoccupied, as she had seen the older female downstairs. But most of her things were in the bathroom Hikari wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon.
Growling, she went to her bedroom and grabbed her school uniform and fresh undergarments. On her way to the second bathroom, she checked if Hikari was still in there, but the door remained locked.
"If I get you, you're dead." And if the small girl had anything else in store for Akira, the teen would snap. Her bedroom was locked, just to be safe, and Hikari wouldn't go to the lengths of going in through the window. Although Akira had closed the window from sheer paranoia. Hikari was not only stubborn, but when 'pouting' over things, the girl went out of her way to make someone miserable. The immaturity behind it often caused Akira to simply ignore her sibling, but that fueled the fire in Hikari. It was the only time her mother had to put a stop to things and scold little Hikari.
She had never felt more compelled to curse than in that moment.
A tall red-haired teen walked away from the basketball club's stand, leaving the basketball team's captain and coach confused and slightly impressed, and a terrified Koganei.
Koganei from his spot on the table, commented on the first-year. "He's terrifying! Is he really a freshman?!" Not only because of his height, but Kagami Taiga's aura represented that of a wild tiger's.
"He's one in a million," Izuki helpfully added as he came back to the stand with the ever-silent Mitobe.
Hyuga and Riko ignored them as the team's captain focused on the paper, reading aloud the redhead's name. "Kagami Taiga...He went to middle school in America." Where many basketball players went to. Riko turned to her classmate. "Either way, I'm sure he'll be extraordinary." He had potential, that much she could already see even without using her ability to check his stats.
"Hello," an unfamiliar voice said and they turned to look behind Koganei at a girl. They stared at her, simply taking in her appearance, but most of all, her impressive height. The smile on her face twitched nervously, but she hid it well.
Riko had never met a girl that easily towered over most of her players. From what she saw, the girl was easily Mitobe's height, maybe half an inch shorter. But her eyes involuntary moved to the girl's chest and she pouted slightly. 'At least c-cups,' she thought sourly. And the girl's exposed legs were nothing to sneeze at, she realized with her Scan. The female's legs were defined and long, as well as powerful. Did the girl train track or something? The others were just as impressed with the girl's height, only that Hyuga's eyes followed Riko's gaze to land onto the blond's legs. His face heated up at how short the skirt seemed on her form. He had been under the impression that the school's dress code had specified a skirt's length.
Izuki and Mitobe were polite enough to never let their gazes stray from the girl's face.
Sharp features framed by platinum blond locks that reached just under the girl's chest. The color was questionable, but it looked natural. Her olive complexion complemented her hair's odd coloring.
Riko's brown orbs met a pair of orange orbs. Or was it amber?
"This is the basketball club's stand right? I'm here in hopes of becoming the manager?" it sounded like a question, but then the girl nodded, seemingly to herself. "I heard the spot was still unoccupied and I could be of help," she provided and her twitchy smile turned more confident as she collected herself.
Riko finally found her ability of speech and gave the girl a smile, although her mind was working a hundred miles per hour. She indicated towards the chair and the girl complied, sitting down and receiving the sign-up form. The girl didn't spare any time and filled it with neat handwriting and as she finished, smiled brilliantly. "You're Coach Aida Riko-senpai, right?" Riko found herself nodding, confused yet pleased that she wouldn't need to explain it to her. "It's a pleasure to meet you. All of you, of course. I'm Teruya Akira."
"A-Ah, nice to meet you too!" she recovered from her confusion and gave the girl a genuine smile. "Which middle school did you attend?"
"Hibiya Middle School. I was actually in the girls basketball club, so I'm a novice." Akira told her, adding the last bit so they wouldn't think she had no knowledge of basketball. If that had been the case, she'd have chosen the physics club or something.
"Did you play?" Koganei asked and felt a shiver run down his spine as glinting orange eyes focused solemnly on him. He felt like he said something wrong and started sweating bullets under Akira's gaze. He had wondered since she was so tall, she would've been a great center in the girls basketball team. Was it wrong to assume that? But the dark aura vanished a second later and it almost appeared like flowers were sprouting in the background as the blond smiled a closed-eyes smile and nodded.
"A regular actually," she supplied, which caused Riko to ponder the the freshman's choice of high school. The blond seemed to notice and shrugged. "I know this school is relatively new and has no female basketball club. I chose it because it was close by."
'Seriously!?' they thought at the same time.
"As a manager you'd be helping me with making training regimen for the players and help me create strategies. You'd also be tasked to scout other teams," the brunette came right back to business, watching for a reaction in Akira. But the girl seemed unperturbed and merely nodded. "I'll test you later today if you're worthy." And being blunt didn't seem to scare the blond. Riko found herself liking the girl.
"I look forward to it," the pleasant smile turned into a smirk. "I won't let you down, coach!" with a wave, she stood up and started walking away.
Just then Akira remembered something and stopped, turning back towards them and caught them looking at her. She sweatdropped, but dismissed it. She never did like someone to point out she was tall, or like some stranger once commented 'titanic for a girl'. It was kind of an insecurity as well as a thing she took pride in. The boy who had asked if she played had triggered the irritation she felt when one pointed it out, but she had caught herself. "Did someone by the name Kuroko Tetsuya fill a sign-up form?"
She saw that they didn't know the mentioned bluenette and she wondered if they even noticed him to begin with. The coach started going through the papers and then the guy who reminded Akira of a cat held out another form, a filled-out one. Her lips twitched.
"EHH!? He's from Teiko Middle School!?" the coach yelled in astonishment, inspecting the paper like it'd supply her with the image of Kuroko's face. Akira bit back a grin. She might have only met him once, but he had left a lasting impression. The impression of a ghost. That the boy hid the fact that he had attended Teiko sparked her curiosity. Not that they had actually talked much about anything, much less about their middle schools, but he could have mentioned it. She had heard about the Generation of Miracles and found them intriguing, if not slightly awe-inspiring.
A memory flashed in her mind and she started walking back, oblivious to the second-years that slowly realized that she had been the one to lead them to the findings of a possible miracle in the mids of their rookies. They only caught her head in the crowd of people, already out of hearing range.
"Geez," sighed Riko and slumped back.
"Do you think she knows him?" Koganei asked and Riko stared at him. The girl had been the one to actually bring their attention to Kuroko's sign-up form.
"Idiot, she was the one to point him out," Hyuga voiced her exact thoughts and she simply sighed.
"This year's first years could be ridiculous!"
A/N: Please leave a review and I hope you liked the chapter!