Spark | Kuroko no Basuke x OC

Even When All Else Fails

He stared at the lemon in his hand and gulped. Hyuuga and the rest looked at him with sympathy, feeling bad for the boy.

"It's okay, Kuroko-kun," Tomoko smiled beautifully from besides the phantom, reaching over to hold his hand encouragingly. For her team, she'll be willing to do anything. "I'll eat them with you!"

Okuma-chan... the team cried silently at the heartwarming sacrifice, blessing their manager's pure soul. No one could willingly eat Riko's food like that. You're such a good friend...

.

fourteen

even when all else fails

.

This time when Aomine walked into the court, he was ready. He was completely serious now, having seen what Seirin was made of in the few moments before intermission. And having properly warmed up, his presence was even bigger and pressing for the rest of the onlookers.

The caramel haired manager and mirage player both gave Kagami a look of optimism. "Be careful," Kuroko said.

"And good luck!" Tomoko cheered.

Kagami nodded and walked down to the court, where he met Aomine halfway. The two aces stood across from each other in dominating stances.

A jungle tiger and a black jaguar.

"You finished warming up?" he glared at the tanned miracle with a smirk.

"Keep fighting until the end... If you have it in you," Aomine returned the same smirk, though his eyes held more malice. The first thing he had heard when he came back was not the roar of the audience, but rather Tomoko's cheerful voice as she encouraged her team with earnest. That somehow irked him. He motioned towards the girl, "She came all this way to bring me back; heh, you wouldn't want to let her down by being so quickly defeated by me."

Aomine knew what he said only proved to rile the redhead up, but he enjoyed seeing his opponent seeth. Before the Seirin ace could say anything in retaliation, the announcer's voice came through the intercom.

"Let the third quarter begin."

Sneakers on the wooden floorboards squeaked as the players ran to take control of the ball. The tension between the two teams was thick, and within the crowd, Takao was sitting next to Otsubo and watched in surprise as he noticed that Seirin's phantom was on the bench.

Midorima, who ultimately came despite telling his team he didn't want to come, and Kise, who had immediately recognized the green haired teen in his ridiculous 'disguise', stood in the balcony section of the bleachers and looked on with less astound since they knew what the Seirin coach was thinking.

"It's a necessary move; they couldn't afford to sub Kuroko out the first half. But I don't think they'll be able to endure this," Midorima observed, looking at Aomine.

"You're right," Kise watched the game with a conflicted expression. Aomine was too strong to have Seirin face him without Kuroko...

But I feel that something's about to happen. He can do it.

The Touou players below took control of the ball and alternated passes to keep Seirin at bay. Once Wakamatsu got possession of the ball, he tossed it to Aomine.

It'll all be him, not just now, but during the entire second half, Riko's chocolate brown eyes zeroed in on the tanned miracle's form. The ace of the Generation of Miracles and a super scorer...

"We're counting on you, Taiga-chan..." Tomoko affirmed, only loud enough for those around her to hear, but she knows the redhead had the same idea.