Chapter 4: Timeout

Present time …

Daiki Aomine

He had been brooding since the rematch yesterday. He thought that his friend was recovered but was far from it. Hikigaya had hobbled off after they said their goodbyes, and he had watched with a glare.

That morning when he trained, his thoughts were on his friend. His brother. Also, probably the only person in Japan around his age with equivalent skills.

And he would never be the same player that he once was. Daiki had noticed it first during the match. Hikigaya was still quick. But the explosive power that he once moved with was gone.

When he was feeling down, his go-to source for a pick-me-up was basketball, but that wasn't working right now. Instead, it only reminded him of what he didn't have.

So he used his other favorite method, annoying Satsuki. He ambled over to her, and just by the nature of his tall, muscular frame and narrow eyes, the friends she had been talking to made themselves scarce. He stood over her as she turned to face him and smiled. Seeing her happy always made him feel warm. He knew what that feeling was but never unpacked those thoughts.

Hikigaya had told him what happened when he'd tried, and Aomine refused to risk what he already had with Satsuki.

"Aomine-kun, I have some great news." She grabbed his hands and stared up at him. Despite knowing that she was just a kinetic friend and that it meant nothing to her, Daiki still felt blood rush to his cheeks.

"What is it, Satsuki?" He kept his voice light and uninterested. She squeezed tighter, and he was grateful that his dark complexion hid his blush.

"Tetsu-kun is coming for a visit to the school. He didn't even reject it when I asked if he would be transferring." Satsuki squealed. "Oh my god, this is so exciting. Apparently, he saw something in how you passed to your teammates."

And just like that, any warm feeling that he had in his chest was gone. Satsuki was always pining after Kuroko, and for what? Because he gave her a popsicle once. She had been over to his house plenty of times, and he had given Satsuki popsicles, and she wasn't in love with him. He had bought her popsicles with his allowance, but one popsicle from Kuroko, and she was head over heels, apparently.

The worst part about all of this was that he would have to watch as Satsuki pointlessly flirted, and Tetsuya missed all of the signs. It would hurt, and nothing would change.

He stepped back and gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Well, he can practice with us when he comes by. Just text me the day that he does so that I train with the team." Aomine broke eye contact and gazed out one of the windows, eyeing the drizzly weather.

He couldn't wait to get home and relax in his bed while it rained outside.

~/~

Present time …

Hachiman Hikigaya

Hikigaya was not having a good morning. The strain on his knee had made it hurt all night, turning his usually peaceful sleep into a series of restless fits and pointless repositioning. The damp air did nothing but exacerbate his pain, turning it into a throbbing epicenter.

When he got up, he took the only recourse that he knew. He popped two Aleve tablets and took a hot bath. Next, he put on a pair of thermal tights, then his knee brace, and finally, his school pants. Finally, he hobbled downstairs for breakfast and enjoyed the simple fare that Komachi had prepared. Toast with eggs was not a bad way to start the morning.

Finally, with food in his stomach, he began to swallow his supplements. He took two multivitamins, several fish oils, and a plethora of herbal-based nutrition that claimed to promote regeneration. After all of this, he shouldered his bag, retrieved an umbrella, and walked his little sister to school.

Hachiman ignored the pain shooting through his leg. He had gotten used to it. These days the pain from his injuries was just something that he quietly managed on his own. The orthopedic surgeon had warned him that this may be a symptom and that besides keeping warm, there was really nothing that could be done. Three surgeries and eighteen months later, Dr. Tanaka was absolutely right.

The aching was a fact of life. The sun rose, the wind blew, and his knee hurt. But, there was nothing that could stop it and nothing that could change it; this was the way that it was.

Right after the accident, he had been sad. Hikigaya mourned the loss of basketball, but his standard of happiness decreased as time passed. Before the accident, a painless day was something that he took for granted. Now, when a day passed that he could walk normally, he was grateful and happy.

He saw a familiar head of black hair in the hallways and decided to take a risk. "Good morning, Yukinoshita. How are you?"

The girl in question was taken aback. Looking at him like he was colored green. "A good morning to you as well, Hikigaya. I am well. Would you care to fill me in on what you and that scoundrel got up to once Yuigahama and I left?" She was absolutely still holding a grudge at Daiki; no question there.

"We got some ramen and caught up. But, first, I want to apologize for the way that Aomine behaved yesterday; that was definitely not his best moment." Hikigaya inclined his head. "He can be a real stand-up guy, but sometimes he can forget his manners."

Again Yukinoshita stared in shock. For Hachiman Hikigaya, the loner who never liked anyone, to say that someone was a 'Stand-up Guy' meant something. She coughed and inclined her head slightly, expression pensive. "I suppose that I can overlook his rudeness this once. I've heard from Hiratsuka-sensei that we have a new request. Would you care to hear about it?"

Hikigaya smiled and nodded, warm in the presence of an ice queen.

~/~

Two and a years ago …

Akashi Seijuro

Something weird was happening with both Aomine and Satsuki; the ace and the manager both threw constant glances at one corner of the spectator stand. Out of the dozens of people, it was impossible to tell who exactly they were looking at.

It hadn't affected Aomine's play, so he left it alone. But it hadn't quelled his curiosity when Daiki slipped quietly from the team's locker room, Akashi trailed behind. He followed his teammate out of the moderately sized stadium and waited carefully behind a corner once his teammate stopped.

Then he heard Aomine speak. "So, what did you think of the match?"

For a moment, Akashi almost responded, convinced that he had been detected. But he caught himself when he heard another voice reply. "It was a convincing win. Your team is definitely the best in the middle school circuit. Hell, you could probably give a few bad high school teams a run for their money."

Daiki impatiently replied. "Yeah, I know all that. But I want to know how we can get better."

The other voice chuckled. "Alright, fine. I thought you guys were each standouts, but besides covering weaknesses, you didn't enhance each other's play style. For example, sometimes, when one of you drove, you would cut through one of the other space and drag a defender onto them. In addition, you guys routinely ignored good passes in favor of playing hero ball, and constantly you guys stopped talking. This is why your center got back cut multiple times. Overall, I would rate your total game performance a four out of ten."

More shocking than his brutal criticism was the lack of real protest from Aomine. "Aw, man. Who do you think had the worst total performance?"

The voice turned teasing. "You just want me to say that you were good."

"No, it's not like that." Daiki actually sounded embarrassed. The same boy who would shamelessly read magazines with half-naked women on the cover.

"Fine, I suppose the worst of the starters was Kise. He has fair athleticism and overall skills, but each time that he copies a move. He lacks the requisite game sense and experience to really use it. He has the mechanics down within a couple of attempts, but the actual knowledge to use it is still missing. Now, I'm glad to be here, but I really have to get home. I promised Komachi that I would be back before four. Bye, Daiki."

"Later, Hachiman."

Akashi raced back down the hallway, moving quickly in hopes of keeping his eavesdropping secret. But, as he ran, his mind raced. Who was it that Aomine was talking to, and would he be willing to offer some tips?

A/N: A slightly slower chapter, just showing how canon has and will change. I am trying to build to the eventual pairings without being too hasty.

Backcut: when an offensive player runs behind a defensive player's back.