Dying Embers [Kuroko No Basket Fan Fiction]

Restitution

If you asked her why she did it, Shuiro wouldn't be able to answer you. She didn't know herself what compelled her to do it, but yet she stood there. Her wig was still at home, she decided that she didn't need it for this golden moment, and stood on the empty court with the rough basketball clutched tightly in her hands.
   She didn't know what she had done it. She didn't know why she picked up a basketball and walked 5 blocks to go to a petty basketball court. Her feet took her there. Shuiro knew that basketball was an important part of her life so she didn't question anything, though she had to wonder why she felt like shooting. She couldn't play basketball, not with how little she remembered about herself. It was pointless.
 Regardless, Shuiro shifted her feet and raised her elbow, ball resting in her hands. 'What am I doing?' She murmured to herself as she didn't fight it. She shot the ball, wrist flicking as her arm followed through and watched with widening eyes as the ball landed in the hoop with a swish. As the ball bounced idly and rolled towards her, Shuiro picked it up and rolled it around in her hands.

Basketball. She couldn't escape it, she simply couldn't. It followed her everywhere, it refused to leave her memory. It was her happy place and she couldn't forget it if she tried.
 She attempted another shot, just to be sure, taking a big step back everytime the ball entered the hoop. The adrenaline began to pump through her as she reached the half-way line. Her heart hammered in her chest and she lined herself up for the shot. Why was this so thrilling for her? Why did basketball, a simple sport, make her want to leap for the stars?
Swish
The ball had gone through again. Her cheeks started to stretch and soon Shuiro was laughing. In a way that she hadn't before. Not a force laugh to satisfy her friends or a restrained smile because it frightened everyone. A smile only meant for herself, where the happiness hined through in every single element. Shuiro ran her hands over her scalp and closed her eyes as she focused on something. 
    When she snapped her eyes open, she could see everything. The ball fell from the basket slowly and the bird's wings moved in slow motion as Shuiro studied them in awe. She turned her head to the side and watched as a car moved at the speed of a turtle while the humans barely moved an inch.
'Simply amazing,' Shuiro whispered to herself as her eyes widened. 'Brilliant. Fantastic. Beautiful.' To see the world in slow motion, oh my stars, it was simply the most alien and amazing thing she had ever witnessed before. She conventrated again and the car zoomed by, the human walked pass and the bird flew into the trees. Shuiro looked at the hoop and watched the ball make it's slow progress to her feet.
She was coming back. Shuiro was coming back, one memory at a time.

                                                             ~+~+~+~

The contrasting feeling of disappointment (yet a lingering knowing) hit Shuiro when she returned home that evening. Her mother had left on urgent business in Australia and would be gone for a month at least. Akashi sat on his chair looking calm-- That was the worse thing to see him like. 
  'Where did you go?' He inquired as he took a cube of tofu from his plate and threw it into his mouth. 'You were gone for a while.' He sounded smiteful and it wasn't hard to pin why. 
Shuiro felt herself go numb. Should she smile and tell him what she experienced, or would that be inappropriate in the situation?
Shuiro swallowed tightly and looked concernedly at Akashi, 'To the courts.' She answered honestly. He didn't ask any further. Shuiro sat down on the chair opposite to him and looked at her feet. 'Are... Are you okay?'
Akashi was silent for some time before he picked up another piece of tofu and kept them between his chopsticks. 'You could always tell when I was lying so there wasn't any point in it.' He saw with a dull voice. Shuiro felt her stomach drop as he continued. 'But you're not the Shuiro I knew, so I wonder if I could get away with lying to you. Just this once.' 
   'Don't even try.' She felt like an idiot for letting her voice shake in that moment. She didn't sound confident at all.
 Akashi glanced at her for a moment before cocking an eyebrow up, 'Do you have the power to stop me? In your state, you really can't do anything. Don't bite the hand that feeds you.' His voice was condescending and Shuiro felt angry about how she wasn't angry about it.
'I want to help.' Shuiro spewed out. 'You've been with me for so long. I want to help you too.'
'You can't.' Was his curt reply.
'Let me try.' Shuiro challenged.
Akashi spoke in a harsher tone this time; 'You can't because you're really useless in the state you are now, Shuiro.' He huffed and stood up. 'I don't want your help. You can't do anything.'

Shuiro felt her breathing stop for a moment. Akashi turned and began to stomp away to his room in Scarlet's house but Shuiro stopped him. 'Stop that.' She said in a tone that sounded like she was far away. 'Stop acting like that.'
Akashi stood, back turned, as he listened to her speak. 
Shuiro frowned at her hands for a second before she scoffed and her mouth wouldn't shut. 'You're acting like a complete child, Seijuurou! Trying to put the blame on others, projecting your pain and anger onto everyone around you. You're 18, alright? It's time you dealt with your problems like an adult would.' Shuiro stood up and turned to Akashi. 'Look at me when I am speaking to you!' She hissed.
   Almost surprise, Akashi whirled around. 'I am not a child!' He snarled offended.
Shuiro placed her hands on her chest sarcastically, 'Could've fooled me!' She said in a sassy tone. 'Mum leaves. That's what she does. She goes out into the world and does what she's always wanted to do. We stay here, in Japan, living our own life. That's how it's always been. It changed for a bit, for years actually, but she doesn't stick around. Mum's a free spirit, she likes to travel, noone can keep her grounded. Didn't you understand that?'
     Akashi crossed his arms as he stared back at Shuiro. 'You're fragile. You're useless. You need help and I can't be the only one looking after you. Mum needs to be here, it isn't a choice. She isn't allowed to just leave you alone.' His voice had calmed down a lot and it sent chills down Shuiro's spine.
 Regardless, Shuiro replied. 'I have you. I have you and the team.'
Akashi scoffed, 'Basketball played aren't the best moral support, Shuiro. We shoot a ball into a hoop, that doesn't help your condition much.'
'Nothing'll help me. Except maybe a positive environment and company.'
'Company mum should be here to provide!'
'We don't need mum!'
     Akashi silenced further arguments. Shuiro looked just as surprised by her words. Hesitantly, she continued. 'W-we... We don't need mum. We survived years without her, we can survive more. She was never there for us- only when you made her feel like she had to stay. Wealth and travelling is all she cares about. She goes through phases where we are important but that's all they are! Phases!' As she talked, Shuiro became more sure of herself. 'Me and you, we're all we have. You're the only family I have as far as I'm concerned. Dad ran out and mum will run out whenever she sees fit. I'm not leaving you and I hope you're not either.' Shuiro watched Akashi as he processed what she had said. It all came as a big surprise to him it seemed.
 After thinking about it, Akashi looked at the carpet. 'You have an unhealthy co-dependency.' He suddenly stated, causing Shuiro to chuckle softly. 'No, really. It's crazy.'
Shuiro ate some tofu and smiled softly at her twin brother. 'Pack your bags, we're going back home.' She had missed her apartment and she wanted to go back to it.

                                                              ~+~+~+~

Shuiro sat contently on the apartment couch as she watched Akashi play English chess with himself. Shuiro's stomach whined and she sighed and stood up, stretching her back and arms when she did.
 'I'm going to make some dinner.' She told Akashi pointlessly as she made her way to the kitchen. She pulled out some pots and utensils as she pulled out ingredients from their recently stocked cupboard. 
Akashi looked up from his game to observe when he suddenly froze. Shuiro was whizzing around the kitchen, an all-too familiar sight for Akashi, but it was what she was doing that he surprised him. She was cooking tofu soup. His favourite. He racked his memory but he couldn't recollect what he wanted.

He stood up slowly and sat on the bench stool, watching his sister with hawk-like eyes. To test his theory, Akashi asked her; 'You said you went the the basketball courts.' He stated, actually. Shuiro nodded. 'What did you do?'
  Shuiro shrugged as she chopped the tofu. 'I just shot some hoops.'
'Did you get any in?'
She stopped chopping and grinned, putting down her knife as she turned to look Akashi in the eye's. He could see the excitement. 'Yeah, all of them! It's was amazing, Sei-kun, I could get it from the half-court! You should've seen... it.' Shuiro's excitement started to drop and she looked down at the tofu in surprise. She took a double-take at the boiling pot and gasped.
   'Akashi.' She murmured with widen eyes. 'When did you tell me that tofu soup was your favourite?'
With a tiny smirk, Akashi replied. 'I didn't.'
Shuiro swallowed in amazement and Akashi stood up. He walked around the bench and stood in front of Shuiro. The questions hit her like bullets.

'What's my motto?'
'"Quick and decisive."'
'My prefered job choice for the future, excluding basketball.'
'Professional shogi player.'
'Speciality?'
'Horse riding.'
'Which former member of the Generation of Miracles has the Student ID number of 102153?'
'Kuroko!'

Akashi and Shuiro's eyes widened before the latter began to smile. Akashi nodded and pulled her into a hug, 'You're coming back, Shu. Slowly but surely.'