Rebound (Kagakuro)

Chapter Seventeen

Kagami

Kuroko ended up being late the next day, and I wondered how long it took for him to fall asleep the night before. From the swollen eyes and dark circles around them, I knew he probably cried himself to sleep. After all, Kuroko was the type of person to keep the pain to himself, and that saddened me a lot.

Coach was a little bit annoyed that we were slightly late, but she was glad that all of us were in perfect condition. I laughed sadly to myself. If she only knew what happened last night.

Kuroko fell asleep on my shoulder during the bus ride to our venue. I didn't mind it, but seeing how exhausted he was broke my heart. I gently moved a trail of his blue hair away, and quickly moved my hand away when he started to blink.

"Sorry," I apologised. "I didn't mean to wake you up. Go back to sleep, it's still a long ride."

Kuroko sleepily nodded his head and fell back asleep, though this time his head was leaning against the window. I felt disappointed somehow, but I shrugged it off. I jumped when I noticed Koganei staring at me suspiciously.

"Something's fishy," He mused. "Are you dating him? I can see the love in your eyes whenever you look at him, so don't bother denying it."

"Don't be dramatic." I simply answered, glancing away as I ignored the heat rising up my cheeks. Koganei hummed in satisfaction, and he turned back to his seat.

Behind us, Hyuga and coach's voices were increasing, and I tried my best not to scream at them. I didn't want to wake Kuroko up the second time. He needed his sleep.

"It's best if you lower down your voices a little," The same person in front of me read my mind. "Or else Kagami would explode for waking his precious boyfriend up."

I got up from my seat and knocked Koganei's head. I didn't care about him being my senpai, but whatever he just said was ridiculous. He groaned in pain, and his partner next to him laughed in amusement. Fortunately, though, the voices behind me decreased, so I thanked him after apologising.

After about an hour, we finally arrived our destination. Kuroko woke up just in time, yawning softly as he stretched out his arms. I chuckled at his bed hair, then ruffled it a little. Kuroko wasn't amused by this.

"Stop it, Kagami-kun."

"Alright, alright." I lifted my hands up in defeat.

We were guided by a leader once we got down the bus, and he led us to our locker room. I wasn't the only one who was fascinated by the surroundings, the other first-years were amazed too. Coach had to stop them from taking pictures, just so we wouldn't waste any time.

A familiar blue walked pass us, and I understood why when Kise cheered joyfully.

"Kasamatsu-senpai!"

The one called Kasamatsu turned his head, and his face lit up a little when he saw Kise. They exchanged hugs, and the other team mates greeted the blond too. No doubt, it was Kaijo High, one of the schools we'll be competing soon.

"It's goOD tO see yOu again, KisE!"

I raised my eyebrows in confusion, and I realised it was another team mate speaking to him. Kise laughed and let them ruffle his hair and wrap their arms around him. Seeing him happy like that was good. He was where he belonged.

"So who are you supporting?" I asked him once he joined us again. His team went on ahead to their locker room and we did the same. Kise put his arms behind his head, shrugging.

"I'll obviously support my own team if they're against you. But don't worry, Kagamicchi," He grinned. "Seirin has my support too."

"That's good to hear," Coach interrupted our conversation. "I'm sorry but you can't follow us, Kise-kun."

"I know that." He pouted before going over to Kuroko. He wrapped his arms around him, but Kuroko remained emotionless.

"Good luck out there, Kurokocchi!"

Kuroko smiled. "Thank you, Kise-kun."

"Leave him alone already," I tried not to sound as annoyed as I was and pulled him away. "Go find a seat and give us your support."

Kise only laughed before leaving the group. I realised I've come to like him. Sure, we didn't get along well at first, but turned out he wasn't so bad. He was fun, actually, and I needed someone as happy as him sometimes.

Once we were settled in the locker room, coach stood in front of the door and smiled widely. I've heard about what happened last year, so I probably understood why she was tearing up a little, even though she tried so hard to cover it up. Hyuga stood next to her, not saying anything.

"It's good to be back," She sighed. "But there's no time to be emotional now. Our first game's in 15 minutes, and we're up against Shinkyo Academy. I want you all to do your best. Win this."

"For Kiyoshi." Hyuga added, and a weak smile formed on coach's lips.

"Win all of your games, for Kiyoshi."

Everyone nodded their heads, even Kuroko. Like I said, I've heard about what happened, but I didn't know it in detail. Who was he?

"Just in case you're wondering who Kiyoshi is, you'll see him soon enough. He's become an exchange student to Kaijo, so he's here too," Hyuga explained. "Kiyoshi got injured during our game against Kirisaki Daichi last year, and was admitted to the hospital for around a year."

"Fortunately, he's better now," He continued. "And he wants all of you to know that you have his full support. After all, he was the one who found our basketball team."

"Let's do it, everyone!" I stood up, feeling pumped up suddenly. "For Kiyoshi."

"For Kiyoshi!" The others cheered, which made coach cry in happiness.

We're winning this, I'm sure.