So sorry once again for taking so long!
Teiko Middle School - 2nd Year
The second year of middle school was starting.
(Y/N) and Kuroko had walked to school together and were making their way inside the building. This year, the (H/C) haired girl didn't stop at the gate nor did she hesitate to go inside.
Because this year was different.
She was part of a club she actually enjoyed and had a good time in. This year, she was excited to start school and spend time with her friends.
(Y/N) turned to look at Kuroko with a smile on her face. She knew her friend was also happy to be back to school.
"Are you excited for this year, Tetsuya?" she asked happily.
The blue haired boy looked at her and smiled softly, his good spirits showing.
"Yes. Now that I'm actually part of the team, I couldn't be more excited." He said gently before he stopped walking, making his friend stop too. "I want to thank you again for helping me, (Y/N). If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be where I am now." He said honestly.
"Can't say I agree, Tetsuya." She said with a small frown. "It was actually Seijuro who helped you after all that. He was the one who guided you in the right direction and helped you when you stumbled with your play." She said, honestly feeling like she didn't deserve any thanks at all.
Kuroko looked at her quietly for a few seconds before speaking.
"But you're the one who went to him." Kuroko simply said, making the girl look at him curiously. "If it wasn't for you, he would have never done what he did. So, thank you." He said and the girl let out a small sigh.
"Well, you're welcome." She said with a smile.
They kept walking quietly for a few seconds before someone called for them.
"(Y/N), Kuroko-kun." Akashi called nicely, making the pair of friends look back.
"Hi, Seijuro." The girl said happily.
"Good morning, Akashi-kun." Kuroko said politely as the red haired boy stopped in front of them.
"Hello, how are you both?" Akashi asked kindly.
"Everything is fine, thank you for asking." Kuroko answered pleasantly.
"It's all good. Tetsuya here spent his last days of vacation hugging his team uniform." (Y/N) said as she smirked at the blue haired boy, messing with him of course.
Kuroko quickly looked at her.
"I didn't do that. Please don't say things like that." Kuroko said, his voice showing the bit of embarrassment he felt with her words.
(Y/N) laughed at his reaction and Akashi smiled at their interaction. The red haired then looked at Kuroko.
"Are you ready for a new year, Kuroko-kun?" he asked and Kuroko nodded.
"Yes, I'm excited to play again." He answered honestly and Akashi nodded, pleased with his answer.
The three of them kept walking together towards their classrooms.
Soon, they arrived at Kuroko's classroom and stopped walking.
"I'll stay here. See you after classes." Kuroko said politely as he walked inside his classroom.
(Y/N) and Akashi said goodbye to him and kept going to their classes as well. As they walked, Akashi looked at (Y/N).
"So, are you also excited?" he asked, making the girl look at him.
"Yup." She answered happily. "I know we all still got together a few times during vacation, but I can't help but be happy that we'll all be together at the club again." She explained and Akashi smiled at her.
After the first year of middle school ended, the boys, (Y/N) and Momoi still managed to meet up a few times. Sometimes they went together to the park to play basketball at the street court, and other times they just spent time together and having fun.
Akashi smiled at those memories. He had to admit he had fun all the times they were together.
After walking a bit more, they finally reached (Y/N)'s classroom.
"Ok, this is me." she said and Akashi nodded with a nice smile. They stood there for a small moment without saying anything and not making any move to step away. (Y/N) smiled, slightly embarrassed. "I'll see you later, yeah?" she asked softly as she touched his tie, looking like she was fixing it, although it was already impeccable.
"Yes, see you later." He said as he put a small strand of her hair back in its place.
After that, the red haired gentleman turned to walk away towards his own classroom.
(Y/N) turned to go inside her classroom, but quickly stopped moving. She realized Akashi was walking the same way they had come from. She understood right then that they had already walked past his classroom, but the boy kept walking with her so he could escort her to hers.
(Y/N) stood there, looking at his retreating back, a sigh full of tenderness for the boy leaving her chest. He was always so nice to her.
-----A week later-----
It was a day of practice and all the members of the basketball club were at the school's gym.
Akashi and Nijimura were standing on one side of one of the courts, watching the practice match Aomine was playing in. Aomine had amazing skills and was playing with an excited smile on his face, as usual.
While the captains were talking with each other about the players' performances, Midorima arrived at their side. The green haired boy had a curious look on his face when he started speaking.
"Who is that guy talking with (Y/N)?" Midorima asked and Akashi and Nijimura looked at him before turning their eyes at where the girl was.
She was in fact talking with someone. The two captains looked curious as well now. They didn't know that guy. He had blond hair and a tall stature. It was the first time they were seeing him.
"No idea. He's not from this club. Maybe he's (L/N)'s friend or something." Nijimura answered nonchalantly. "His face is all red." He commented next with a confused look.
Akashi didn't say anything and just kept looking at (Y/N) and the new guy. The blond looked embarrassed for some reason while talking with the (H/C) haired girl.
Suddenly, the blond guy exited the gym with a smile on his face and a paper in his hand. (Y/N) was also smiling as she made her way towards them. She had to tell them the news.
When she arrived at their side, she looked curiously at them as she noticed they were already looking at her, Midorima included.
"Who was that, (L/N)?" Nijimura asked and the girl turned towards him.
"A soon to be new member of this club." She said happily.
"Who is he?" Akashi asked normally and (Y/N) looked at him this time.
"Kise Ryota, a second-year. Just quit his last club and now wants to join ours." She explained nicely.
"Why did he quit his last club? He better not be coming to this one if he plans to do the same here." Midorima said with a hard look.
"Don't worry." (Y/N) said with a light chuckle. They were always so serious about the club. "He quit his last club because it wasn't stimulating enough for him. I'm pretty sure he won't be quitting this one." She said with a confident smile and the guys nodded with approval.
Then Midorima turned towards (Y/N) again.
"When you were talking to him, why was he blushing and flaying his hands all over the place? Were you teasing him? Why do you always mess with people?" Midorima asked her with a displeased and lecturing tone.
He had been watching them talk, although he couldn't hear what was being said. Midorima was a very composed person, or at least he tried to be. One thing he always disapproved of was (Y/N)'s knack to tease people. It got on his nerves, especially when she decided to do it to him. He wished she was a more serious person.
(Y/N) looked at him with a sort of hurt expression on her face. Akashi and Nijimura kept listening to their conversation.
"Is that really the opinion you have of me?" she asked him with a saddened tone of voice that took Midorima aback. He wasn't expecting her to react that way. "I was helping him, but you always assume I don't take things seriously and behave childishly." She said next while looking at Midorima with a pair of sad eyes.
Akashi was assessing her and a miniscule smile appeared on his face. He knew what her truly sad eyes looked like and, what they were seeing now, wasn't it. Of course, Midorima didn't know that. The green haired boy actually thought he made the girl sad and was getting uncomfortable. It was rude of him to make a girl feel gloomy like this.
"I apologize." Midorima said quickly, making the three of them look at him again. "I shouldn't have assumed anything and upset you." He said politely and (Y/N) smiled gratefully at him.
"It's alright." She said with a nice smile and Midorima nodded. Then, his green eyes widened when he saw her face change immediately back to normal and she smirked at him. "Anyway, of course I was messing with Kise-kun. He was adorable, so I couldn't help it." She said before laughing and quickly walking away from the three of them, so she was far away from Midorima's rage.
Nijimura snorted at how angry Midorima was. The poor boy was even shaking with rage. She had made him apologize for something he was completely right about!
"One of these days, I'm going to smash her head on the wall." Midorima said while still looking comically mad.
Akashi sighed at his words. This wasn't anything new. If there was a person (Y/N) liked to torment, it was Midorima.
"No. You're not allowed to do that." Akashi told Midorima, who turned to look at him with his frustrated green eyes.
"If you were a constant victim of her words and teasing, you'd also want to cave her head in." Midorima complained and Akashi smiled at his words. "I'm waiting for the day she actually annoys you with her shenanigans and then we'll see how you deal with it." He grumbled and Nijimura chuckled.
"He has a soft spot for her. Are you even sure he can get annoyed at her?" Nijimura asked Midorima as he sent a smirk towards Akashi.
"She can rile me up just as much as she does to any of you." Akashi said, smirking as well. Nijimura's eyebrows went up a bit at Akashi's lack of denial for his previous statement. "Don't worry Midorima, your complaint has been duly noted and I promise I'll think of something." The red haired said as he turned his eyes towards (Y/N), watching as she joyfully spoke with Momoi about something they couldn't hear.
Midorima huffed, sort of satisfied with Akashi's words, and walked away to continue with his practice.
The next day, Kise joined the basketball club.
Seen that the blond boy had never played basketball before, coach Sanada put him on the third-string as a start. As soon as Kise got the hang of the game and his natural skill started showing, Sanada quickly promoted him to the second-string.
Just two weeks after joining the club, Kise was standing in front of the members of the first-string. Coach Sanada was introducing him.
"This is Kise Ryota. From today forward, he's a new member of the first-string." Sanada said as all the boys evaluated Kise, while the blond had a proud smile on his face. Then, the coach turned towards Kuroko. "Kuroko-kun, come here." He called for the blue haired boy as the others went back to what they were doing. Kuroko walked towards the coach. (Y/N), Momoi and Kise were already standing next to the man. "You'll be responsible for mentoring Kise-kun. Help him adjust to the first-string and guide him. He improved greatly in just a couple of weeks, so I'm sure you won't need to help him for long, but for now this is what I want you to do." The coach instructed Kuroko.
Kuroko was still surprised to hear about how Kise had improved so quickly, but he nodded obediently to the coach.
After that, the coach walked away and left the four of them by themselves. (Y/N) turned towards Kise.
"Congratulations Kise-kun! For someone who never played basketball, getting to the first-string in just two weeks is quite the achievement." The girl said with a smile and Kise grinned at her.
"Thanks! I'm excited that I'm going to play with the stronger team." Kise said and Momoi took a step towards him.
"Not yet." The pink haired girl said and Kise looked at her curiously. "Before playing with the others on official games, you'll have to first play with the guys on the second-string in a few games. Tetsu-kun will help you there." She explained as she gestured towards Kuroko as she spoke. The blue haired boy nodded at Kise as a greeting.
Kise looked a bit disappointed that he still had to wait before being an official member. And especially that he had to be babysat by a smaller guy that didn't look like much. The blond was looking at Kuroko and the doubt was evident in his eyes.
(Y/N) noticed what the blond boy was probably thinking and turned towards Kuroko.
"Tetsuya, you can go back to the others. Satsuki-chan and I will give Kise-kun the basics." She told her blue haired friend as an excuse for him to not listen to their conversation. Kuroko accepted it quietly and walked away from them.
Kise watched the smaller boy walk away before turning towards the two girls.
"Why is that guy going to mentor me?" Kise started to ask, his eyes showing his feelings of superiority. "He doesn't look like much. Is he really on the first-string?" He said, making Momoi sigh and (Y/N)'s eyes narrow. She had guessed correctly what Kise had been thinking.
Kise was just like the others. He felt nothing when he looked at Kuroko, he didn't feel the usual strong aura a good player has when he looked at Kuroko. In fact, Kuroko was almost invisible and Kise had even forgotten he was there for a couple of times since he arrived. Of course he would feel doubtful of someone who looked so weak.
(Y/N) turned fully towards Kise, a serious look in her eyes that made the blond boy look at her surprised with her change in demeanor.
"Tetsuya will be the one to mentor you because he's the one you have to get used to. Although he's still a competitive player, Tetsuya is also the most modest one out of everyone else, so he's the best one to help you. You will both participate in a match tomorrow with the second-string. Do me a favor and keep your opinions about Tetsuya to yourself until after you actually get to know him." (Y/N) said and Kise was even more surprised.
He didn't understand what she meant with getting used to Kuroko, but before he could ask anything, someone called for (Y/N) and the girl excused herself before leaving Kise and Momoi alone.
Momoi showed a small smile and decided to speak to Kise as well.
"Don't take her the wrong way. (Y/N)-chan and Tetsu-kun are basically best friends, so every time someone speaks lowly about him, she gets angry. Especially someone who doesn't know anything about Tetsu-kun." She explained nicely and Kise's eyes turned softer after understanding. He guessed he could have been nicer when he spoke about Kuroko. The boy was going to go out of his way just to help him, after all.
"But what did she mean when she said I had to get used to him?" Kise asked curiously.
"Well, Tetsu-kun is a peculiar boy and his way of playing is also different." Momoi said and Kise raised an eyebrow. That answer lacked so many details, he basically still knew the same.
At that moment, (Y/N) arrived at their side again, just in time to hear Kise's question.
"But why is he different?" the blond asked and (Y/N) was the one to answer. It was obvious who he was talking about.
"It's not something we can explain to you. You'll only understand it after you experience it." (Y/N) explained with a nicer tone of voice. "After tomorrow's match, you are free to have any opinion about Tetsuya as you like." The girl said and Kise, although still feeling a bit confused with what both girls were talking about, couldn't help but be excited to see what was so special about the plain blue haired boy.
The next afternoon, (Y/N) was standing next to Momoi as they watched the first-string boys practice.
Suddenly, the gym doors opened and the boys from the second-string entered. They had just come back from their match.
(Y/N) smiled as she saw Kise run towards her. He stopped in front of her and he had an amazed look on his face.
"I understand, now!" he simply exclaimed, making (Y/N) chuckle lightly at his enthusiasm.
After that day, Kise's view of Kuroko had actually changed. Not only after playing with him, but also after talking to him and seeing how nice and intriguing the blue haired boy was. Kise had to admit he did enjoy playing with Kuroko.
In just a few days, Kuroko's job at mentoring Kise was finished and the blond was officially a member of the team. He would still be at the bench and be a substitute when he was needed, but he had made it none the less. After all, the player he would substitute on games would be Haizaki and the silver haired bad boy was absent most of the time, so Kise would get to play a lot.
Now, with Kise as the new addiction to the club, Teiko's basketball team was complete.
-----A few days later-----
Akashi was walking down one of the school building's corridor. Basketball practice had ended already, but he was still wearing his sport clothes. The corridor was dark as all the lights were turned off and it was already after sunset.
The red haired was thinking about some things about the club while he walked. He had thought he was completely alone in the building, so he was surprised when he turned the corner and saw his favorite person standing in front of coach Sanada's office.
(Y/N) was leaning against the wall right beside the door and had a focused look on her face. Akashi was actually intrigued to see her there. She was supposed to have already gone home with Kuroko and the others.
The red haired walked towards her. (Y/N) saw him approach and her eyes turned normal.
"What are you doing here, (Y/N)?" he asked her, genuinely curious.
The girl put a finger in front of her lips to signal him to speak quietly before she answered him.
"Saw Nijimura-senpai coming here earlier." She said quietly. "I thought he's been acting a bit different lately, so I followed him to ask him about it, but he got inside the coach's office before I had the chance. So, now I'm waiting here." The girl answered and Akashi blinked.
He actually hadn't noticed anything too weird about Nijimura, but believed her judgment none the less. He assessed his (H/C) haired friend and how close to the door she was. The focused look she had earlier also told him that she had been listening in on Nijimura's and the coach's conversation.
"It's impolite to listen in on other peoples' conversations, you know?" he asked with a smirk.
(Y/N) didn't look embarrassed nor nervous about having been caught. Instead, she smirked back at him.
"I'm not listening in. I'm just waiting outside for Nijimura-senpai. The fact that I can hear their conversation from here is just a coincidence. And I'm too lazy to move away to give them privacy, so I guess I just have to endure it and listen to everything." She said with a fake pained expression.
Akashi just looked at her with a deadpanned face after that answer. He immediately remembered Midorima's complains about the girl's cheekiness and how he, Akashi himself, compromised to do something about it. He couldn't help but chuckle.
His hand made its way up to her cheek.
This time, (Y/N) did actually look embarrassed. She wasn't expecting him to touch her face so suddenly. She wasn't going to complain, though.
Until the red haired boy's seemingly sweet gesture turned out to be a pinch on her cheek. (Y/N)'s (E/C) eyes widened at what he did and she looked at him perplexed. Akashi on the other hand was smirking at her.
"You know what that was for." He simply said before she could even ask him.
Before they could keep talking, coach Sanada's voice got louder. Both of them looked towards the door and stayed quiet to listen.
"Last year, you asked us to make Akashi a vice-captain and we accepted, considering his notorious talent. Now you're asking to make him the captain. He was supposed to take over only next year after you've graduated, why do you want him to be the captain sooner?" Sanada's voice asked to who Akashi and (Y/N) assumed was Nijimura.
The pair was curious. Why was Nijimura asking for something like that? (Y/N) was right, something was going on with the older boy.
"I'm really sorry." They heard Nijimura say. "The truth is that my father is at the hospital again." The boy said and (Y/N)'s eyes showed her pity for Nijimura's situation. "He's alright for now, but he could get worse at any moment. I can't concentrate on my duties as the captain with my father's health like this. If we were in a game and I heard he had gotten worse, I would abandon everything to go see him. That's why I ask you to take this responsibility away from me. I'm really sorry." Nijimura finished explaining and they heard the coach sigh before answering.
"Alright, I understand." Sanada said and Nijimura thanked him.
The older boy made his way out of the office and saw Akashi and (Y/N) standing there. He greeted them nicely, but after seeing Akashi's tense expression and (Y/N)'s sympathetic look, he realized they had listened to what he was saying to the coach.
"You were listening to all that?" he asked them with a disapproving pout.
"Only the last part." Akashi said and Nijimura huffed.
"That was the worst part." Nijimura complained.
"Sorry, senpai. Just wanted to know what was going on." (Y/N) said softly and Nijimura sighed.
"Well, it doesn't matter, I guess. You'd find out eventually." The boy said and then looked at Akashi with a smile. "Anyway, it's a little early but you're the captain now, Akashi." He told him.
"It hasn't been decided yet." Akashi said modestly and Nijimura frowned slightly at his insistence.
"It's as good as decided. After hearing what I said, you still want me to be the captain?" Nijimura asked in a lecturing tone. The older boy was always very responsible and took his position very seriously. The moment he felt he was no longer good enough for the position of captain of Teiko's prideful team, he would step aside. Nijimura looked at Akashi for a few seconds before talking again. "Are you uncertain?" he asked the red haired.
"No." Akashi answered immediately. "I'm just worried about you." He said kindly and Nijimura smiled.
"Is that so? I'm not worried, though. I know you'll do well. I'm counting on you, Captain Akashi." Nijimura said finally and walked away.
Akashi and (Y/N) were looking at him as he walked away. Nijimura had spoken with a smile on his face, but the moment he turned around, it had disappeared completely. The older boy took a mature decision and was certain that Akashi would be great, but he still felt disappointed he had to give the position up.
(Y/N) turned towards Akashi, he was keeping quiet and it worried her.
"Seijuro, are you ok?" she asked him gently and Akashi looked at her.
"I'm not the one you should be asking that. Nijimura is the one with problems, you should worry about him." Akashi said with a normal tone and (Y/N) stepped closer to him.
"Yes, but now this matter also involves you. Seen that you're the one I care about, I'm worrying about you." She said without any reservations, making Akashi's gaze on her turn tender. "Is another stressful position and responsibility really alright for you? You already have too much to worry about. Will you be ok?" She asked with genuine concern for him. Her hand came to rest on his forearm and he felt like he never wanted her to let go.
Akashi didn't answer right away. He kept gazing at her, seeing her worried expression and her beautiful eyes looking at everything on his face, trying to read him as she waited for him to speak. A few minutes ago she was smirking at him while giving him one of her sly answers and now she was concerned for him while looking at him like he was the most precious thing.
He was so incredibly fond of this girl.
He wasn't dumb. He knew what it was that he felt for her, he knew its name, although he had never felt it for anyone else that wasn't a family member. He felt it so strongly it was almost overwhelming. How could it be that one moment you're living your life normally and in another you notice that that life won't be the same without a specific someone in it? When did that happen? When did he give this girl so much power?
His train of thought was broken when (Y/N)'s hand that was grabbing his arm came down to hold his hand instead. The lack of an answer was getting her restless. His hand immediately tightened around hers and Akashi gulped. Her hand on his just solidified what he already knew about himself.
But was it the same for her?
He would only know when he asked her.
But not right now.
He would wait.
"I'm fine." He finally answered, his hand still holding hers. "It's what I'm good at and also what I enjoy doing. I don't mind the extra responsibility. Besides, I was already vice-captain, so it won't be that different." He answered honestly and (Y/N) sighed and nodded as she looked down at their joined hands.
She felt some relief after his answer. She didn't want this matter to bring more pressure and worries to his already demanding life. If there was anything she could do to help this boy, she would do it. Any time he needed someone there, any time he would be tired or tense or angry or sad, whenever it was, she wanted to be there for him.
She wasn't dumb. She knew why she felt like this, she knew its name. It was almost overwhelming. One day, suddenly, you notice that your life won't be the same without a special someone in it. When did that happen, though? She honestly didn't know. When did this boy get so much power?
The pair stood there for a bit more. Both silent and looking at their still conjoined hands. The exact same thought in both their minds: Did other peoples' hands molded so perfectly with each other as theirs did now?
(Y/N) was the first to loosen her grip on his hand.
She wanted to tell him and she wanted to know what he felt.
But not right now.
She would wait.
Their hands separated and they smiled at each other.
"Come on. It's time to go home." Akashi said softly and the both of them started walking down the corridor.
They were walking so close to each other, their shoulders brushed on one another a few times. Neither of them minded. Neither of them moved away.
-----A week later-----
The National qualifiers were less than two months away. Coach Sanada had gathered all the players on the gym to tell them about how things were going to work from there on.
One member wasn't there, though. Haizaki had quit the club just recently. Akashi had been displeased and completely done with the rebel's behavior and attitude. He would skip practice and even games, and was always hard to deal with when present, so Akashi decided to have him leave the team. If they wanted to be serious in the tournaments and evolve to their maximum, they couldn't have such an unreliable player. With that, Kise became a starter in the team, with Nijimura being his substitute when needed.
Seen that it was time for them to start training seriously for the Nationals, Teiko's head coach made his appearance. His name was Shirogane Kozo and he was older than Sanada. He was the one who was going to take command of the training from that moment on. Many players had never met him, Kuroko being one of them because he joined the first-string only recently. Coach Shirogane liked to observe their normal practices, but always kept sort of hidden and watched everyone from the top floor of the gym, while the second coach, Sanada, took care of everything. It wasn't because he wasn't interested in participating in practice, but because he liked to watch the players on their natural state and didn't want them to be intimidated or nervous if they knew he was there.
All the players liked the man actually, he was really nice and supportive, but they couldn't say they were completely happy when the time came when coach Shirogane took the reins. That was because he always gave them difficult and hard training programs.
"Not even (Y/N) is going to be able to help us much against this total hard-ass." Aomine mumbled and Kuroko looked sort of worried. He could only hope he would be able to endure this man's killer program.
"She can be quite persuasive. Although I'm sure the only person she would try to protect from the harsh training would be Kuroko." Midorima said with a frown.
"I wonder what she would say if she was here." Akashi said with a smile.
"Nonsense!" coach Shirogane suddenly and joyfully said to them, making them all flinch. They realized that the man had been listening to what they were saying. "Our lovely manager won't have to worry about anyone. You're all young and strong lads, so this won't kill you." He said with a smile, but the boys were still doubtful. Then, the man's expression turned serious. "Now, I have an announcement to make." He said and all the boys were paying close attention. "Akashi Seijuro." He called and the red haired walked forward to stand next to him while facing the rest of the team. "Starting today, Akashi will replace Nijimura as the captain." He informed and the other boys started to quietly comment on that, especially the older ones. Coach Shirogane kept going. "The third-years may not like it, but this is so the team can win. You must accept it. Also," he said as he turned towards Nijimura. "I'd like to tell you that you have done a great job up until now, Nijimura." The man said and the boy thanked him politely.
At that moment, the managers arrived. (Y/N) and Momoi were talking joyfully as they carried towels and papers. When they got closer to the others, they finished their conversation and looked at everyone. Coach Shirogane was smiling nicely at them and the girls were slightly surprised to see him there.
"Oh no, is it already time for coach Shirogane to be here?" (Y/N) asked with a complaining tone, making said man laugh.
"Yes, it is, (L/N)!" he said joyfully and (Y/N) sighed. "Don't worry, the boys will be fine!" he added and the girl smiled too.
"That's good then." She said as her expression turned sly. "Because it would be really unfortunate for you, sir, to be the one cleaning up any vomit that is caused by excessive training. Don't you think?" she asked him and coach Shirogane's expression turned awkward. Just as quickly, he laughed.
"Oh, you. Always the jokester!" he said laughing. "Who knows what would happen to your position if I was ever obligated to do such a thing." He said and both of them gave fake laughs.
The others were watching their interaction and feeling weirded out with how they were threatening each other.
"What a passive-aggressive conversation." Aomine commented.
"It's almost entertaining." Midorima said next.
"But that means the coach won't go easy on us, after all. What a pain." Murasakibara complained, his voice dragging lazily.
"We were already expecting this outcome." Akashi said with a smile before turning to look at Kuroko. "Good luck, Kuroko-kun." He said to the blue haired boy who nodded a bit nervously.
Kise got closer to them.
"Hey, is it alright for (L/N)-chan to be talking with the coach like that?" Kise whispered worriedly to the others.
Midorima huffed before answering.
"You'd be surprised with what that girl gets away with." The green haired grumbled.
"Yeah, don't worry about her." Aomine said with a smile.
Akashi turned to look at Midorima.
"That reminds me, Midorima." He started to say, grabbing the green haired boy's attention. "I believe I came up with what you asked me for. It won't solve the problem, but at least you can retaliate." Akashi said with a smirk and Midorima actually looked curious and satisfied with those news.
The others looked at them curiously, they didn't know what Midorima had asked Akashi nor what they were talking about.
They would soon find out, though. . .
"OW!" (Y/N)'s shout was suddenly heard inside the gym, one day at practice.
Some boys from the club looked up quickly, startled with the sound. Kise looked at Kuroko worriedly.
"What was that shout?!" the blond asked with concern, but Kuroko looked normal.
"(Y/N)." Kuroko answered simply as Aomine arrived at their side.
"What happened?" the blond asked worriedly again.
"Akashi came up with a way to punish her every time she annoys someone on the first-string. Look." Aomine explained as the three of them turned to look at the manager.
Midorima was standing in front of her, his hands on her face.
"You really have a talent to get on my nerves." Midorima grumbled as he was pinching both her cheeks.
"Ow, ow, ow! I only said the truth! Let go!" (Y/N) cried out. Midorima let go of her and the girl massaged her cheeks with a pout. "So mean." She complained.
"It's what you deserve." Midorima huffed before walking away from her.
Kise sweated nervously at what he had just witnessed, but a smile quickly came back to his face. The people on the first-string were so weird sometimes. Kise loved it.
During the days of practice before the Middle School National Basketball Tournament started, the boys were working hard at practice. Their talents were growing and evolving nicely. But one person was getting stronger at a faster pace. Aomine's abilities seemed to never reach a limit. The more he trained, the greater he became.
Unfortunately, that also brought bad things. And it was with Aomine's amazing growth that things started to get different in the team.
Aomine's spirit wasn't the same as before. He smiled less and his excitement while playing was absent most of the time. Aomine was becoming such an amazing player, his opponents were starting to give up way before the games were even over. His superior talent over every opponent was so obvious, nobody had the will to fight against him anymore. And that was what was breaking Aomine. He couldn't give his all in games, scared that his opponents would just give up. He even started to practice less to avoid getting even stronger. But doing this was making the boy become bored. The sport he loved the most was becoming dull to him.
Day after day, the blue haired boy's face grew sadder. He didn't talk to anybody about it, but his friends noticed that something was going on with him.
One day, after practice, (Y/N), Kuroko and Aomine were waiting outside for the others. Aomine was quiet and had a sad and pensive look on his face. (Y/N) and Kuroko were watching him. It was obvious their friend was going through something and they wanted to know what it was so they could help him.
"Aomine-kun." Kuroko called, but the taller boy was so lost in his own thoughts, he didn't hear it. "Aomine-kun." Kuroko tried again a bit louder, but the result was the same.
Kuroko and (Y/N) looked at each other, their concern rising. (Y/N) took a step towards Aomine.
"Hey, Daiki." She called as she shook his arm.
This finally grabbed Aomine's attention and the boy looked at them both with confusion.
"Huh? Oh sorry, what is it?" he asked, his voice quiet.
"You've been distracted lately, not to mention gloomy. Is everything ok?" (Y/N) asked with concern showing in her face. Kuroko was also eager to know what was wrong with him.
"Oh, yeah, everything's fine." Aomine answered as he avoided his friends' eyes.
(Y/N) and Kuroko looked at each other again, they knew he was lying.
"You've been on a roll lately." Kuroko said, referring to the fact that Aomine had been playing really well and scoring a lot of points in their games.
Aomine looked at him with a normal smile.
"Yeah, I guess." Aomine answered without much enthusiasm.
"Aren't you happy about it?" (Y/N) asked and Aomine stayed quiet as he kept avoiding their eyes.
"Why bother even trying?" Aomine suddenly asked, making Kuroko and (Y/N) look at him curiously.
"What do you mean?" the girl asked.
"We always win no matter what. It's getting boring." Aomine said.
"It's boring to win?" Kuroko asked and Aomine looked at him.
"It's boring when there's no real challenge. Why bother trying to get better if you're already too good. The more I try, the more boring basketball becomes." Aomine explained and his friends' eyes widened.
Now they understood his reasoning and were sympathetic.
"It's understandable when you put it that way." (Y/N) started to say and Aomine looked at her. "But that shouldn't be a reason for you to contain your talent. We're almost starting Nationals, I'm sure we'll have strong opponents there and you won't have to hold yourself back." She tried to cheer him up. She had no idea if what she said was going to happen or not, but she sure hoped so.
"Besides," Kuroko said next, making them both look at him now. "If I was your opponent, I'd be angry to know that you were holding yourself back instead of giving your all against me. It's offensive when our opponents go easy on us." The shorter boy explained and Aomine sighed.
"You're right." Aomine said with a smile. "Let's wait for Nationals and see then." He said with a bit more energy.
Aomine hoped his friends were right. He hoped he would find opponents who would make it interesting for him again.
Before they could say anything else, a loud girly voice was heard coming in their direction.
"TETSU-KUN!" Momoi shouted happily as she jumped on Kuroko's back and clinged to him. The pink haired manager had grown quite attached to the blue haired boy.
"Hey, Satsuki, you're interrupting our conversation!" Aomine complained as Kuroko begged Momoi to let go of him.
Momoi got off Kuroko's back after Aomine's words.
"What? What were you talking about?" she asked eagerly and Aomine sighed.
"Nevermind." He simply said tiredly.
After that, the others arrived at their side. They were all there except for a certain red haired captain.
"Hey, guys!" Kise said happily. "You want to go for some ice cream?" he asked them and Aomine actually smiled at that.
"Yeah, that sounds good." Aomine answered in a better mood.
"Where's Seijuro." (Y/N) asked and Momoi turned towards her.
"He said he's going to stay longer." The pink haired answered. "I actually have to go give him this game data I gathered, so I can't go with you guys to get ice cream." She said and they all looked at the stack of papers she was holding now.
"Aka-chin has been asking you to gather a lot of data, lately." Murasakibara commented.
"Good work." Midorima complimented the girl and Momoi giggled.
"Apparently, I'm pretty good at it." She said happily and (Y/N) smiled at her.
"You know what, Satsuki?" (Y/N) started to say as she grabbed the papers from Momoi's hands. The girl and the boys looked at her curiously. "Why don't you go with the boys and I'll give this data to Seijuro?" the (H/C) haired girl suggested with a smile.
"What?" Murasakibara complained with his dragging voice. "You're not coming with us, (Y/N)-chin?" he asked sulkily and Kise got closer to the girl.
"I wanted to get ice cream with you, (Y/N)-chi!" the blond exclaimed.
"Sorry, Kise, but-" She tried to say but Kise cried out.
"I told you to call me by my first name already!" he complained and (Y/N) chuckled.
"Ok, Kise. I'll think about it, Kise." She said and chuckled at how the blond cried out again after her riling answer. She turned towards the others, her face slightly more serious, but the smile was still there. "Sorry, I like to hang out with you guys, but I have another priority right now." She said shamelessly.
She looked at Momoi to see if she agreed with her suggestion and Momoi smiled happily.
"Thank you, (Y/N)-chan!" she exclaimed joyfully as she gave (Y/N) her papers.
"Thank you as well, Satsuki." (Y/N) replied and both girls laughed.
They had to have each other's backs, after all. Now, (Y/N) could go to Akashi and Momoi could join the boys and be with Kuroko.
"Your intentions are so obvious." Midorima commented and (Y/N) smiled at him.
"Well, I'm not exactly trying to hide them. I want to be with him, so I'll take any chance I get." She answered without a problem and the boys' eyes actually widened a bit, impressed by her certainty and sincerity on the matter.
"Yeah, yeah, go get him then, tiger." Aomine joked and the girl chuckled.
They all turned around to go out of the school as (Y/N) turned to go back inside the building.
After taking a few steps, Midorima stopped and looked back at the girl as she happily walked with the stack of papers in her hands. Midorima had a serious look on his face. He was seeing now that (Y/N)'s and Akashi's relationship might get somewhere. The green haired boy wasn't against it, it wasn't even any of his business, but there were certain things he had noticed about the red haired captain that he doubted (Y/N) had any knowledge about. He thought it was only fair that she knew.
Midorima sighed and started walking again, quickly reaching the others. He would speak with (Y/N) and warn her someday.
When (Y/N) reached the room where Akashi was, she knocked on the door. When the boy politely told her to enter, she opened the door.
Akashi was focused on another set of papers. Most likely another game data he asked Momoi for. He only looked up when (Y/N) got to his side and his eyes widened slightly when he saw it wasn't Momoi who entered the room.
"(Y/N)? I thought it was Momoi at the door." He said nicely as he got up to take the stack of papers from her.
"We met outside. She wanted to go with the others to get ice cream, so I offered to bring this to you so she could go with them." The girl answered with a smile as she sat down on the chair next to his and Akashi smirked at her.
"Was that the only reason?" he asked teasingly.
"Who knows?" She said as she smiled softly at her lap.
She didn't have a problem telling others about her feelings for the red haired boy, but it was something else entirely to say them to his face.
Akashi's expression went back to normal at her response. She also looked like something was bothering her.
"Is something wrong?" he asked her and she looked up at him.
"Do you think things are changing?" she asked him and his expression told her that she had to elaborate for him to understand what she meant. "I mean with the team. Daiki is different. I'm sure you've noticed how good he has become. He says he's starting to get bored and disliking playing. I never thought that could be possible for someone like him." She said dejectedly and Akashi sighed pensively.
"I've noticed he has been on lower spirits. But it's only understandable, (Y/N). Aomine reached a level where his opponents have no chance against him. Guaranteed victory without any real challenge is not suitable for someone like Aomine. He's a person that needs constant stimulation and fire." He explained and (Y/N) thought for a bit before looking at him again.
"Do you think that giving him a goal will help to get some of his motivation back? I don't know, maybe a certain amount of points for him to score?" (Y/N) asked and Akashi stayed quiet for a few seconds while thinking about that possibility.
"It might." Akashi answered finally. "I'll suggest that to the team. It's possible that this will help everyone. Unfortunately, boredom isn't a problem that only affects Aomine. Guaranteed victory is set to leave all of us unsatisfied." He said and (Y/N) nodded in agreement.
After that, they stayed quiet for a while. Akashi had gone back to his papers and (Y/N) was looking at him.
"Do you need help with that?" she asked him as she brought her chair closer to him.
Akashi looked at her and smiled.
"Not really, you don't have to worry." He answered nicely as the girl looked at all the papers he had in front of him.
"It's amazing how Satsuki can gather all of this. She's incredible." (Y/N) said softly as she assessed the information the pink haired girl organized.
Akashi gazed at her and his eyes softened at (Y/N)'s gentle expression.
"It's her talent and it's quite handy, so we're all lucky to have her." Akashi said nicely and (Y/N) smiled.
"You know, she's completely head over heels for Tetsuya. It's really cute." The girl said with a small laugh.
"I've noticed. She's been all over him for a while now. Too bad Kuroko doesn't seem interested, though." Akashi chuckled and (Y/N) snorted.
After a few more minutes of comfortable silence and watching Akashi's beautiful face as he focused on his work, (Y/N) noticed how his forehead and eyebrows were tense. The skin on his face was as smooth as always, but there were small bags under his eyes. This made her concern for him grow and she spoke once again.
"How have you been, Seijuro?" she asked and the boy looked at her curiously. "With your captain duty. Are you handling it well? Do you need any help?" she asked with a concerned tone.
She had to ask him these things, otherwise she would never know. The boy never complained about anything and never asked for help.
"Everything is fine, (Y/N)." he answered like always and the girl frowned.
She raised her hand to his face and made him turn to her.
"You look tired and tense." She told him as she let him go and Akashi leaned back on his chair. "You're dealing with too many things, aren't you? You're not getting the rest you need. How is everything fine, Seijuro?" she asked him, her tone showing her aggravation.
"It's how things are. I don't want you to worry about it." He told her as he grabbed her hand to try to make her relax.
"How can I not worry? Of course I worry about you." She said with a heavy exhale.
Akashi watched her as she played with his fingers. Her displeased expression as she did so.
She had done it again, she made his heart flutter again. She gave up a fun outing with the others so she could be with him and keep him company. She hadn't admitted to it, but he was sure that was her reason. And now she was once again worrying about him and getting angry at his pain.
Akashi gulped as his eyes never left her face. Too many times had he restrained himself and kept quiet. He decided right there he wasn't going to waste another second more.
"(Y/N)." he called softly.
"Hmm?" she answered absentmindedly as she kept touching his fingers.
"I want to date you." Akashi said matter of factly.
The girl's hand stopped moving abruptly on top of his and her eyes widened like never before. Then she quickly looked up at him and the boy saw the tremendous surprise she felt with the suddenness of his declaration.
"W-what?!" she asked incredulously. Her voice had even turned a few notes higher, such was the surprise she felt.
Akashi's hand grabbed hers again and he got up from his chair while gently pulling her so she would do the same. When they were standing close to each other, his free hand came up to rest on her warm cheek. The girl had made no movement to step away from him and her fingers quickly tightened around his when he intertwined them.
"I'm in love with you and I want to date you." He explained without any reservations.
His thumb caressed her now warmer cheek and he watched her as she gulped and her beautiful (E/C) eyes turned glossy.
"I really wasn't expecting that! It came out of nowhere!" she exclaimed breathlessly.
"Believe me, it has been ready to come out for a long time now. I still don't know why I waited so long." He admitted and she looked at him lovingly.
"You- you mean it?" she asked softly.
She couldn't believe this was happening. She had been smitten with him for a long time and something warm and nice between them had been there basically from the beginning. But to actually have this boy confess to her . . . it was amazing.
Akashi cupped both her cheeks and he planted a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"Oh my god." (Y/N) mumbled at his affectionate gesture. She was feeling so many new things in such a short time.
Akashi then leaned his forehead against hers and her hands came to gently grab his shirt on his chest area.
"Yes, I mean it." He answered softly and the girl sighed adoringly. "And I really want your answer right now." He told her.
He would have given her time to think about it if she so wished for it, but the way she was reacting and looking at him was making his heart beat faster and faster with the certainty that she felt the same for him.
"I want to date you, too. I'm also in love with you." She whispered, making the boy smile. "I don't really know how it happened, but-" she tried to explain and he made her stop talking by kissing her cheek.
"One day, you just realized it, right?" he asked with a smile and she nodded.
"Yeah." She mumbled.
"It was the same for me. Suddenly, the feeling was just there and from that moment I couldn't get rid of it." He described and (Y/N) nodded again.
"Yeah." She mumbled again and looked at his red eyes.
Their faces were so close, their noses were even touching.
"May I kiss you?" he asked in a whisper.
"You already did that twice." She said softly and Akashi let out a small chuckle.
"I want your permission for this one." He said as softly as she did.
"Y-yes." She stuttered quickly and equally quietly.
Akashi didn't waste any time in touching her lips with his in a soft and experimenting peck.
After short seconds, he pulled back just a fraction. It was a new feeling for both of them and they were tremendously unexperienced, so the best option was to go slowly. He waited for a bit before pecking her lips again. This time, it was longer and (Y/N) made a small sound like longing when he pulled back again. One of her hands left his chest to touch his face as Akashi's went down to her waist. (Y/N) pulled him into another kiss and he gladly did as she wanted. When the need to catch their breath turned too much, they stopped. The excitement and nervousness from what was happening, added to their inexperience, got them both breathless.
They gasped for air as they kept looking at each other. (Y/N) gulped and finally spoke.
"Seijuro." She started to say and the boy was patiently waiting for her to go on. "I'm so happy, right now." She said with a small smile and Akashi smiled as well.
"I'm glad." He said as he kissed her forehead again. "I'm happy, too." He told her and (Y/N) put her arms around his shoulders and hugged him tightly. His own arms quickly went around her to reciprocate and he held her tightly. Soon, they let go of each other and Akashi held her hand. "Come on, we should go. It's getting late and, right now, I don't feel like doing anything else but walk home with you." He said kindly and (Y/N) smiled happily and nodded at him.
From this day forward, they would be a couple and it was safe to say they were both very happy.
When the rest of the team learned about the news the next day, they really weren't surprised. It was bound to happen sooner or later, after all.
The days went by quickly. The boys from the first-string were training hard and their talents were evolving significantly. As they went through the first phases of the Middle School National Basketball Tournament, they started to get called the Generation of Miracles. Every opposing team always looked at them with nervous expressions, such was the strong presence they had on court.
One day, at lunch time, the boys were at the school's cafeteria. They had won a game the previous day and were now done with the first rounds of Nationals.
(Y/N) and Momoi arrived at their table and congratulated them for their success, but the boys' reactions were so poor and rid of enthusiasm, the girls were taken aback.
"You don't seem excited at all!" Momoi complained as the boys looked at her, bored.
(Y/N) sat down next to her boyfriend and glanced at him, showing him how the poor reactions had worried her.
"Why are you so excited? It's always the same." Aomine mumbled. They still had to actually get a good opponent, so his problem was getting worse.
"We always win." Murasakibara said next, also sounding bored.
The truth was that Akashi had been right. Boredom wasn't only Aomine's problem. All the others were starting to feel the same. They wanted to win and were pleased, but the lack of excitement was a fact they couldn't hide.
Akashi had used their games at the Nationals to evaluate their spirits and performances and saw how things were getting worse each time they played. He decided to use this opportunity to put (Y/N)'s idea in action.
"We have been doing well. We must keep winning like this, but I do have a suggestion." The red haired said, grabbing everyone's attention. "This team is strong, but once our victory is certain, we become unmotivated. (Y/N) had the idea and I agreed, so I'm assigning a quota. Each player must score 20 points per game." He explained and waited for their reactions.
"Hey, why not? That sounds like fun! Right, Aomine-chi?" Kise said excitedly as he looked at Aomine. The blond was the easiest to fire up.
"Sounds like a pain in the butt." Aomine answered, sounding bored out of his mind.
"Daiki." (Y/N) mumbled dejectedly. Not even this would give him some motivation to play?
Akashi looked at her and grabbed her hand.
The others were also sort of surprised with Aomine's attitude.
"Huh? You're not excited for this? Normally you're all over this stuff, Aomine-chi." Kise commented.
"Who cares as long as we win?" Aomine asked.
"I don't like having to do this, either." Akashi said as he looked at Aomine. "But frankly, you seem especially unmotivated lately. When scorers don't care about earning points, it affects the team's morale." Akashi explained and Aomine sighed.
"Fine. I'll score." Aomine agreed.
(Y/N) looked at Akashi as he looked back at her. The girl could only hope this would help Aomine stay motivated. But after seeing his reaction to the idea, her hopes were getting weaker.
The plan to have the boys score at least 20 points each in their games had been a good enough incentive to keep them interested.
Unfortunately, things didn't go well for long.
Everything actually got worse for Aomine at the Middle School National Tournament. Not only didn't they get a challenging opponent that would bring Aomine's spirits up, but Aomine actually lost a rival friend he had made the previous year. Aomine was actually excited when he found out he was going to play against his friend. He believed that he would have a good game if it was against him.
But he was wrong.
After losing against Aomine's incredible abilities, his rival friend was so overwhelmed with his defeat, that he called Aomine a monster and told him nobody would ever have a chance against him and his monstrous talent.
After that moment, the spark in Aomine died. He convinced himself that nobody would ever be as good as him and nobody would ever win against him. The only one who could defeat him was himself.
Aomine stormed out of the locker room that day. He wouldn't listen to anyone and simply left. The others were actually worried about him. No one had ever expected things to get to that point.
(Y/N) and Momoi shared a concerned look. What were they going to do?
Kuroko was sitting quietly on the locker room's bench. He had been happy at the tournament. He even had gotten to meet with his friend Ogiwara after so long. But, sadly, the event didn't end too well for Kuroko, either. Not only did Aomine started to distance himself from him, but Ogiwara's team had lost their game and had to leave. Kuroko and his friend weren't going to be able to play against each other this year either. They would have to wait again until next year.
(Y/N) patted her friend's blue hair, feeling sorry for him. The outcome of this tournament couldn't have been worse. They won their games, sure, but to her, it felt like they lost so much more in return.
After a few minutes, (Y/N) got up and walked outside. The mood inside the locker room was too heavy and she wanted to get some air.
When she got outside the building, she looked for a sort of secure place and sat down on the floor, her back against the wall. She let out a heavy sigh. There was no way for her, or anybody for that matter, to help Aomine. It seemed like it was yesterday they were all happy and the boys, especially Aomine, were playing happily. How come things can change so fast, and for the worse? Why couldn't things simply stay good?
The girl sighed again as she was lost in her thoughts. She was brought back when she felt someone standing beside her. She looked up and immediately relaxed her tense body when she saw who it was.
She didn't say anything as the red haired boy crouched beside her, making her move to sit further from the wall. He proceeded to sit behind her on the space she made for him. His back was against the wall now and his arms came around her torso as she leaned back into his chest.
He didn't say anything either, he simply put a kiss on her head. The team had kept its purpose and won all their games. Their next game would be the last, and if they won they would be champions. But he couldn't say he was completely satisfied with the results. The problems were in fact growing in the team and there was no telling how everything would turn out.
Akashi knew how the team was important for the girl in his arms. He knew she was sad that precise moment, but there was no promise he could make to her. Especially when he believed that this was just the beginning of the team's difficulties. Aomine was just the first victim.
His red eyes turned to look at her over her shoulder when he felt her hands tighten on his forearms.
"Will it get any worse than this?" she asked softly, Akashi knowing exactly what she was referring to.
"Let's hope not." He answered as he put another kiss on her head, purposely avoiding giving her his honest answer.
They would find out soon enough.
How much worse everything was going to get.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for reading!