A/N: Hi! I know many of you are probably wondering, "where the heck has author-san been?" Well, news: I JUST GRADUATED FROM UNDERGRAD!!! Whoo! I've been so busy with that, and I'm currently in the process of applying to graduate schools for med school (which is a struggle). Anyways, I just want to congratulate those who have also recently graduated from high school and college. You're about to enter a new chapter of your lives, so just remember to study smart and have fun.
Please don't forget to vote and leave a comment!
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"Come entertain me!" Aomine's deep voice called out. Kagami and I glanced out of the corner of our eyes at each other with a smirk. Our eyes slid back over to our main opponent on the side opposite to us. Kagami's relaxed stance was similar to mine; my legs were shoulder-width apart and my knees bent with my hands hovering slightly above my thighs. I was crouching in a position that signaled I was ready to lunge. Almost immediately, Aomine darted towards the left, enticing Kagami to follow him. With a quick jerk, Aomine spun around, flying past Kagami's defense on the right.
Despite his giant stature, Kagami quickly regained his footing and darted back in front of Aomine. A feral grin made itself known on Aomine's face, quickly hinting at some sort of plan. My instincts kicked in and I hovered near Teppei, who was guarding under the net and Wakamatsu. Aomine forcefully slammed the basketball against the court - the ball flying between Kagami's legs, angled for a high bounce.
"No way! Is that an alley-oop with Wakamatsu?!" Izuki cried out in disbelief. Although basketball was a game of height, being shorter than the rest of the players on the court had its advantages. I sprinted towards Teppei and jumped, resting a hand on his shoulder to launch myself up at the descending ball. Before the others could register what was happening, my palm met the orange ball with a sharp CRACK! Aomine's dark blue eyes met mine, narrowing in concealed disbelief. I smirked, wiping the sweat along my defined jawline with my sweatband.
"Are we entertaining you yet, Ah-ho-mi-ne?" The recipient of my joke only heatedly glared at me before jogging after the ball that I had deflected out of bounds. Wakamatsu stood just behind the white line, bouncing the ball to Aomine, signaling the play back in. In an instant, Kagami was on the Touou's ace.
At this rate, Kagami won't be able to stop Aomine. My feet shifted themselves toward the dueling aces, ready to assist Kagami. Sakurai immediately threw his arms out in a block, preventing me from moving forward. My eyes widened in disbelief before narrowing in anger.
"I-I can't let you interfere! S-s-sorry!" He squeaked out. In retaliation, I brought my arms up in a defensive pose, throwing an arm to catch the shooting guard in the side before ducking under his arm. Sprinting toward the two giants, I could tell that I wasn't going to reach the ball in time. Aomine had already dashed past Teppei and Kagami, hurling the ball at the hoop from behind him. Still, my hand flung out in an attempt to knock the ball off course. Three centimeters too short, the ball breezed by my fingertips.
Murmurs turned into full-blown cries of cheers and incredulity.
"No way! Did you see that? Aomine made that shot without even looking at the basket!" Grimaces were apparent on my teammates' faces, causing me to clench my hands into fists. We have to win!
The play restarted with Hyuuga passing the ball to me. Almost instantly, Aomine was on top of me, blocking my path toward the hoop. Izuki neatly slid behind Aomine, creating the perfect opportunity to screen him for me to charge forward. I took the chance and darted right, hoping that Izuki could hold against Aomine as a screen. However, the tanned giant was quick on his feet. He twisted around Izuki from the left and bolted behind him, running toward me. I nimbly crossed the ball between my feet, catching it with my left hand. Izuki quickly slid between me and Aomine, halting the giant in his path to get to me. I deftly skipped backwards before jumping into the air. Leaning my upper body backwards, I neatly shot the ball into the hoop.
"W-was that a fade-away?!" The crowd roared with approval. I hid my grin by lifting up the collar of my jersey to wipe away at my dripping sweat. I can do this.
"Hey," Kagami's voice rumbled out from beside me. I glanced over at him to see his eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Leave Aomine to me."
My mouth opened and closed without a sound. I wanted to argue with Kagami, to tell him that I could handle Aomine. However, with reluctance, I nodded my head. As if sensing my displeasure, Kagami gently dropped his hand on my head, patting me. I bit back a grin at the action, schooling my features into one of a neutral expression.
The next play happened quickly with Aomine mowing down everyone blocking his path. Kagami swiftly blocked the incoming titan, staying on top of Aomine's every twist and turn. I could tell that Aomine was getting tired of trying to shake Kagami off; instead, Aomine pushed through Kagami's defense and leapt up, leaning backwards into a formless shot. Next thing I knew, Kagami had joined the Touou player in the air, his arm reaching upward to knock the ball out of its trajectory.
I wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but I knew we were far from being in the clear. As predicted, the pace of the game picked up. My cherry-colored eyes narrowed in on the battle between Kagami and Aomine, waiting and watching for an opening. I found it when Imayoshi took a shot on the hoop but ended up bouncing off the backboard. Wakamatsu jumped up for the rebound and I quickly followed, waiting for him to catch the ball. When the tall blonde landed in a crouch with the ball in his grasp, I struck out with my hand. Neatly dislodging the ball from his clutch, I swiped it up and quickly tore down the court. Spotting Teppei who was mid-distance between me and the hoop, I hollered out, "Teppei! Bend a knee!" Footsteps thundered behind me as everyone quickly followed chase.
Without hesitation, he dropped down into a lunge, his muscular thigh proudly on display. My right foot landed on his thigh, immediately launching myself forward. Before anyone could process what was happening, I leaned backwards for a formless shot.
"2 points! Yosh!" I heard the rest of our team cheer from the bench as the buzzer went off. I glanced up at the scoreboard, eyebrows furrowing when I realized we were still two points behind at 46 – 48.
"We will now be taking a 10 minute break before the start of the third quarter," a woman's voice blared over the intercom. I quickly shrugged on my track pants and with a quick "I'll be back," to Riko. I escaped from the confines of the gym, leaving Riko and the rest of my team spluttering behind me. I ducked outside and wandered around before finding a secluded spot. Leaning on my forearms against the concrete wall, I finally let out a heavy sigh. I clenched my hand into a fist before whirling around and lashing out at the wall with my foot. The sole of my gray, teal and violet Nikes solidly connected with the wall in a burst of anger. I was knocked out of my trance when a jacket landed on my head, obscuring my vision for a moment.
"You'll catch a cold, idiot." My head whipped up in surprise as I quickly brought my foot down from the wall.
"Kagami?"
"If you don't get your shit together before the second half, we'll be in a bind," he replied with a stern expression. I glared down at the floor as I shrugged on my windbreaker. "Hey, what were you just thinking? It doesn't look like you need to be cheered up, but you didn't just come out here for fresh air."
I glanced away, turning around to face the open. "I wasn't thinking about anything complicated. I was just thinking that I'd do anything to win this game. I have my promises to keep, and I intend to carry them out."
Kagami took up residence next to me, resting his elbows on the rail as he faced the opposite way as me. "The only thing we can do is to play as hard as we can to win." All of the tension I had in me deflated.
"Heh," I lowly chuckled out. My forehead landed against his bicep as soft strands of my red wig covered the tears prickling in my eyes. Surprisingly, Kagami didn't say anything as he let me rest my head against his arm.
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"Izuki, switch out with Kuroko," ordered Riko. "Line-up will be Hyuuga, Kiyoshi, Kagami, Masami, and Kuroko." We all nodded our heads before heading back out onto the court. As I passed by Riko, her hand shot out and grabbed my arm, halting me.
"Be careful out there, Masami-chan. If you need to sub out, sub out." My eyes steadily met the coach's, concern swimming in her brown eyes.
"Don't worry, Riko," I grinned, patting her hand. I jogged back onto the court, taking up Izuki's spot as a point guard. At the start of the whistle, the ball was tossed up into the air. The ball was passed to Imayoshi, who was stopped by Hyuuga. The Touou captain kept his gaze on Hyuuga, faking him out before passing the ball to Aomine. I was nervously watching Kagami struggle against Aomine. Filled with anticipation and dread, my fear came true when Aomine broke past Kagami and headed for the hoop. I darted past Sakurai just as Teppei maneuvered around Wakamatsu.
I knew Teppei wouldn't be able to stop Aomine in time, which prompted me to throw myself in front of Aomine. Not noticing me until it was too late, Aomine's speed and weight forcefully knocked me down. I threw my hands out behind me to catch myself as my bottom collided with the wooden floor harshly. My expression twisted into one of a grimace with the pain shooting up my tailbone.
The referee's whistle blew as he called out, "Charging! Black No. 5!" A pale hand made itself present in front of me. I glanced up to see Kuroko's stoic face before taking his offered hand. Hoisting me up, I stumbled as the pain radiated upward. Concern flashed through Kuroko's blue eyes but I waved him off.
"I predicted his movements, so I took the best route to stop him."
"Don't be so reckless, Masami-san," Kuroko deadpanned. I grinned up at the teen.
"Let's go!" shouted Hyuuga, prompting us all to run down the court. Kuroko and I shared a glance, nodding our heads before ducking around our Touou guards. Hyuuga noticed this, swiftly passing the ball to Kuroko who had slipped past Susa, the small forward for Touou. I sprinted down the line, getting myself open for Kuroko's pass. I hurled the ball to Kagami, who passed it back to Kuroko. The Touou players had been so focused on Kagami, Teppei and Hyuuga that they had forgotten about Kuroko and me for a moment. Once the ball was back in Kuroko's hands, I was already past Touou's defenses once again and ready for a three-pointer.
The basketball roughly dug into my palms from Kuroko's Ignite Pass. Ignoring the stinging sensation, I swiftly jumped up and shot the ball for a three-pointer. The ball neatly slid through the net.
"Yosh!" I shouted, throwing my fist into the air. My teammates raised their fists in response, cheering with excitement as we headed down back to our side of the court.
"Alright, let's solidify our defense and make sure they don't get past us!" Hyuuga roared out an encouragement. Imayoshi started with the ball, dribbling it with ease. I took my position in front of him, analyzing his stance and taking in the rhythm of the ball. I watched as he suddenly gripped the ball with both hands, and I readied myself for a jump. With a sudden crouch from Imayoshi, I took the initiative to jump. My eyes widened with realization when Imayoshi stayed crouching. Crap! It was a fake!
Imayoshi grinned deviously and threw the ball to Wakamatsu while still in his crouched position. The tall center easily tossed the ball into the hoop, earning two points, which brought the score to 49 – 50. Only 45 seconds into the third quarter and Touou was back in the lead.
"Damn it," I softly cursed under my breath.
"Don't worry about it, Masami," Hyuuga called out to me. "We're in control of the game."
Next thing I knew, Imayoshi's voice rang out from my left, "We're the ones in control."