Spark | Kuroko no Basuke x OC

Even When All Else Fails

"I think it's time for you to come out," Aomine grinned at his former partner. His voice held taunt and a bit of malice, "Let's settle this."

It was frustrating to hear that from the tanned miracle, but every one in Seirin knew that he couldn't be beat with just Kagami out there. Third quarter was halfway over, and Seirin has yet to score.

They were now 20 points behind.

Riko's brows creased with internal conflict. She hated that her team was helpless against the miracle. It didn't help that his every action and comment was taking a harsh stab at her team, either. She gritted her teeth; it was time to prepare themselves for what's to come.

"Kuroko-kun..." Riko called out softly, still a little unsure.

"Let him go, Riko-san," Tomoko set a hand on the brunette's shoulder. Her eyes conveyed it all. No matter how little chance we have... We must never give up.

Kuroko stood up, throwing his towel to the side. "I'm going." The tanned miracle quirked his lips in an amused smirk.

"That's right... Show me the strength of the new light and shadow."

The announcer called for a member change, and Tomoko watched the phantom go. Kuroko-kun... Please hold on.

The whistle blew and the game was back into motion, the squeaking of sneakers was the only thing that echoed throughout the arena as everyone watched with absolute concentration.

The Touou captain, despite having Izuki mark him with his eagle eye, successfully passed the ball over to Wakamatsu and the blonde made a dash for the basket.

Once the ball flew in, Kuroko was immediately in action.

With the ball in the palm of his hand, he rotated twice to gain velocity and invisible wind seemed to swirl around his body in a furious tornado. In a second, the ball was tossed across the court with a speed normal people couldn't comprehend with their naked eyes.

This was the same cross-court pass he used against Midorima-kun! Tomoko watched with awe as she cheered loudly. The pass had caught the Touou captain off-guard, and the rest scrambled to to catch up with it before it reached Kagami, but he was already waiting for the impact.

Her eyes darted over to Aomine to see what he would do, but was shocked when she saw that he merely watched the ball fly past him before running behind Kagami.

His navy eyes were dark. Empty. Calculating.

Tomoko widened her eyes when Aomine caught up to Kagami. He's too fast!

But, knowing that the tanned male was at his trail, Kagami smirked and tossed the ball into the awaiting hands of Hyuuga. It was a three-pointer from there!

"Captain's in clutch time!" Tomoko grinned. Although, the way Aomine regarded Kuroko's pass with such indifference tugged at the back of her mind. It was almost like...

...He wasn't worried.

Her heart pounded painfully when she realized the horrifying truth. She may not be good at analyzing the players the way Riko or Momoi was able to, but she was sharp at noticing the little things a person does.

Aomine Daiki was easy to piece together. Little actions, such as the way he smirked after someone from her team did something, the fast shifting eyes that darted from one place to another, the way he carried himself with such confidence—it wasn't just because he was arrogant.

"They were partners, you know."

"I used to be Tetsu's light."

"He's used to Kuroko-kun's style," she stated softly; those two were partners for three years, after all. Riko looked at her worriedly.