"So you're the so special 'Hinata Shouyou' Akashi told me about?"
"I am! He told me that you'll be my mentor! Midorima Shintarou, right?"
A blinding smile faced him, and soon, the noise of the balls hitting the floor and the screeching shoes slowly disappeared, for him to only focus at the newcomer who previously approached him with a basketball under his left arm.
"What's your astrological sign?"
"Huh?"
"When's your birthday?
"Oh! It's June 21st. When's yours?
"A gemini, I see.", He ignored the other's lost frown, before putting back his glasses on his nose. "It's seems we'll get along well."
"What's this..Atro-Astrological? That's way too hard to spell!"
"..."
But the frustration in his demeanor quickly changed to an excited state, when he looked at his elder, stars in his eyes.
"Captain said you're an amazing shooting guard! Could you show me?"
"Hm. Wait until I finish bandaging my hand."
The smaller blinked, not loosing for a second his big smile, before sitting next to his newly met mentor, and waited patiently, gazing excitedly on a certain black tanned boy, who just dunked, a playful smile on his lips, before giving a thumbs up toward Hinata, yelling victory all over the place. Midorima watched as his cadet returned the gesture, laughing loudly. But then, the player turned his back, and concentrated on his game, making Midorima sigh.
Aomine wasn't enough. They had two hyper exited boys in the team, now..
But oddly.
As the time passes, as the matches reveals themselves interesting..
As he watches Hinata blossom in the middle of their miracle team..
He grows attached to this new player Akashi put under his wing.
He's now used to his cadet's whiny and childlike temperament.
To his Captain's indulgent behaviour, only when it comes to the little orange head, and to the rare and exclusive pat on the head that he gives him. To Aomine's rare, precious fire in his eyes whenever the two of them are in a one on one. To Kuroko's fondness and almost motherlike tendencies when Shouyou goes into incredulous and crazy situations, because god knows this little thing has no sense of preservation. To Murasakibara faint teasing about the other's height, and to Hinata's angry pout. To Satsuki making the little sun blush like a tomato when she put his head in her chest for a hug. And a bit latter, to Kise's admiration for Hinata, who makes the concerned sometimes embarrassed, but never did he refuse Ryouta a single challenge. He had a soft spot for him.
Shintarou slowly, but surely becomes accustomed to his life becoming filled with the seven of them.
It happened naturally.
Akashi found the orange head playing alone in a gymnasium, and brought him at the basketball training.
"He will be practicing with us starting from tomorrow.", The pink haired guy told Nijimura, the current captain of the team, who raised an eyebrow, ignoring the bewildered look on the other players' faces. "I will show him the basics now."
Hinata was behind him, almost as if he wanted to hide.
Nijimura mentally facepalmed, at the irony that this innocent being was hiding behind the scariest of all the players here.
After, he met Murasakibara.
It was a shock for all of them to see the giant share his so precious candies with the newcomer.
This day, he showed the club what he was capable of, and Akashi had to hide the phantom of a smile, when the faces of his teammates transformed from interest, to shock, the moment Hinata ran all the field, passing the defenders, to dunk effortlessly.
"He flew.."
Then, he went and searched for the so reputed Aomine, before meeting Midorima for the first time.
And started from this day, loudness became usual for the basketball club. Aomine's and Hinata's laughers, quarrels, and yells became a normal thing to hear when you get past the basketball's gymnasium.
Satsuki saw him next, and immediately decided he would be in her special care, spoiling him like a kid, under the exasperated face of Daiki.
"You two have the same age!"
"So what?!", She ferociously replied, making the tanned, big guy flinch. Hinata tensed and sweat-dropped inside her arms, as he struggled to get free. "He's so small and soft.. I'll keep him!"
"Is he a dog?!"
The next day, he brought Kuroko in practice, under the slight surprise of Akashi, and the delighted face of Satsuki.
"He's incredible!", He said, an arm over Tetsuya's shoulders, who avoided the gaze of everybody but Shouyou. "He can make himself disappear, like whoosh!"
Seījurō blinked, and turned his head toward the light blue head, who was hiding behind the orange one. Shouyou made a surprised face, before laughing.
"Captain won't eat you!"
"Are you sure 'bout that?", Snorted Aomine, making the ball he had roll on his index. But he quickly dashed off to go see Satsuki, because of the glance his captain gave him, causing Midorima to sigh.
"I want a demonstration."
"Yessir!" Hinata grinned, taking the hand of Kuroko to drag him in the first and biggest court of the gymnasium, followed by the others.
And the day after, Kuroko signed up for the Basketball club.
A week later, Kise joined. An immature, young and skilled player, who thought that being just gifted was sufficient.
"Are you really one of them?", he looked down at Shouyou, a smirk on his lips. "Kuroko-senpai's another thing, but you.."
Hinata simply looked at him.
"Shoucchin's as much on the team than Kurocchin."
It was Murasakibara who took his defence, surprisingly. Kise just brushed it off, and Hinata gave an appreciative smile to the tallest, before deciding to continue his training, not noticing Aomine taking Kise's shirt by its collar, and Kuroko separating them. He threw at Ryouta a cold look, causing him to flinch.
"Don't talk about Sho-kun that way."
Kise huffed, and asked himself what this short, weird boy was capable of for them to react this way.
He had his answer two days later, at a friendly match against another middle-school.
He saw this little, tiny thing fly toward the hoop, making everyone but his own team froze for a second. He saw him passing opponents like it was nothing with an incredible speed, and even more important..
With the thing they all had, in this team. The raw, strong sparkle in his now fluorescent, orange eyes, making him look invincible.
S̷o̷ ̷H̷e̷ ̷h̷a̷s̷ ̷i̷t̷ ̷t̷o̷o̷.
Kise told the coach, while looking straight at Hinata's form on the field, that he wanted to be small forward too, making the trainer sigh, nodding.
Not noticing the dark glint in Kise's golden eyes.
He had found another one.
He knew that Aomine, Akashi, Murasakibara, Midorima and Kuroko had it too.
They all had an ego.
It's a wonder he couldn't see it automatically in Hinata.
H̷e̷ ̷h̷i̷d̷e̷s ̷i̷t̷ ̷w̷e̷l̷l.
His behaviour toward Hinata quickly changed, making the concerned lost for a few days, before he finally gave in, and shrugged it off, an accepting smile on his lips. Kise apologised, and from this day on, became the favorite cadet of Hinata.
Favourite was an understatement.
It was like watching a deep relation between a big and a little brother.
Hinata took a good care of Ryouta, training whenever he wanted with him. Along with Aomine, the three of them were like kids pranking everyone on the club, making noise everywhere they went.
Always together.
That's maybe why he was furious, when Haizaki Shogo humiliated Kise.
Hinata Shouyou never really cared for players like that.
Haizaki almost never showed up at practice, and when he did, he was rude and unrespectful. He was known for being violent, and often started fights over nothing.
"Stop bullying Tetsuya.", Hinata once said, when they were eating peacefully at the cafeteria, and when Shogo took a bit of Kuroko's meal, smirking playfully at Aomine's growl.
"Don't get too cocky, shrimp."
Akashi only narrowed his eyes, and watched Midorima sigh tiredly, while Atsushi continued to eat, not a bit bothered.
"If you're this hungry, go and take some dish."
"I told y'all before. I'm not hungry..", With a wicked smile on his lips, Shogo continued, after he wiped his mouth. "It's just that others' things look so much tastier, I can't help but want to steal it."
Hinata frowned, and Kuroko watched him silently, impassible.
"So I heard that this Kise Ryouta wanted to be small forward.", Haizaki snorted, a dark glint in his eyes. He looked at Hinata. "Are you the one who put this idea in his head? I already beated him, why would you want me to crush him again?"
"Your violence issues really have to be solved." Hinata looked him in the eyes, the same frown of earlier in his face, clearly irritated, and unfazed by Kuroko's soothing hand on his arm. "I will tell Nijimura-san about your behaviour."
"No matter what you say, he tired to take my position, and he failed. If you're angry about his girlfriend, don't worry." He sneered, amused. "I broke up with her four hours later."
Hinata really tried to stay still.
Akashi could see it, the way he restrained his anger, looking down his dish, jaw and fists tighter than usual. That why he threw a warning look at Shogo, who didn't notice.
"So next time he dares defy me.. I'll just break his legs."
This sentence had made Shouyou sit sill. His orbs opened wildly, and his posture relaxed.
"What..DId you say..?" Hinata stood up, pushing the chair a little away, and Haizaki had to back off a little. The sound of his voice wasn't the same as earlier.
Deeper, lower, and raspier.
The small and tiny guy wasn't here anymore. He couldn't see his little frame anymore. It was like he was at the same height than him.
Haizaki was forced to lower his head, and to look at the calm expression of the cadet.
"You know." He started, not moving an inch. "Even though some persons look like the worst people in the earth, I can sometimes see a good part in them."
The tension in the air thickened.
"But right now, you really are stepping on my nerves."
Haizaki frowned, and kept a cold look, in front of the smaller, whose eyes were shadowed by the darkness of his hair's shade.
"Sho-cchi! Didn't you told me you were all waiting for me to start eating?! Not faiiiir..Oh."
And like that, Kise's apparence made Hinata's aura disappear into the air. Haizaki blinked, when Shouyou turned toward Ryouta with a smile, as if nothing happened.
Then, Shogo grunted, throwing a hateful look at Shoyou, before storming off the cafeteria.
"Haizaki..", Kise's behaviour changed, and an unpleasant rictus showed up on his face.
"Let's sit down and eat, Ryouta.
The blond looked at Hinata, hesitated, and finally gave in, taking a seat next to Akashi. Hinata sat between Kuroko and Midorima, and continued his dish as if everything was normal.
Then, smirking internally, he took a sad expression, before sighing dramatically.
"It's Daiki's fault! He really wanted to eat, and threatened us to do the same!"
"Hah?!", reacted Aomine, looking shocked at Hinata, who just sticked his tongue out.
"Don't yell.", said Midorima, after finishing his noodles. "You're unnecessary noisy."
"But Midocchin, he's-"
"I don't want to hear a thing from someone who can't eat properly with chopsticks."
"Ehhh..", Whines Atsushi, pouting at Daiki. "I'm being scolded because of you!"
"How the fuck is any of this my fault?!"
"It is simply your fault, Daiki." Akashi spoke, and calmed the power forward with a look, when this one threw at him a raging expression. After taking a drink from his tea, he continued. "Refrain your explosive temper."
"What the f-?!"
"No swearings, Aomine-kun. Or I'll call Momoï-san."
"Pfffahahaha!", Kise laughed, putting a hand on his belly.
"Not you too, Tetsu.. And stop laughing, Kise!!"
Hinata smiled fondly one all this scene, his chin resting on his palm, while looking at everybody.
It was a calm, warm and sunny day, outside.
But he'd rather stay here, surrounded by them.
He'd rather listen to Daiki's plaintive groans, Ryouta's genuine laugh, Atsushi's childlike grumble, Shintarou's exasperated sigh, Tetsuya's impassible reproaches, or to Captain's playful remarks.
He isn't alone anymore.
And he feels it when Captain or Tetsuya passes to him, when Atsushi makes a way for him to goal, when he relies on Shintarou to score, or when he can mix with Daiki's and Ryouta's powers to make a strategy.
He isn't alone anymore.
Thanks god his family moved here.
Thanks god he went to Teiko.
Thanks god he met Captain.
"You're spacing off, Shouyou."
"What're you waiting for, Sho? Time to practice!"
Hinata blinked, and saw as Daiki reached out for him with his hand , Akashi just behind him. Oh. The others already left.
"C'mon!", Grinned excitedly Aomine, happy to play again. "The others are goin' to the lockers, so since we don't need it, we'll go earlier!"
Hinata just looked at him, getting out of his teams, before catching his hand, a wide shiny smile on his lips.
Akashi ruffed his hair, as he complained.
He didn't miss Captain's faint smile, this time.
They reached the door, and a blinding light made Hinata's eyes narrow. He frowned when Aomine got into a running position, and couldn't say nothing, surprised as he was.
"You better get ready, Shouyou." Akashi, provides, seeing his lack of reaction.
"The first in the gymnasium will be nicknamed the best ace this school ever had!"
Hinata didn't even had the time to blink. Daiki started running with all his might, laughing evilly.
Shouyou took a second to understand.
And with his captain's sigh, his legs started to work at the best of their efficiency.
"NOT FAIR YOU GORRILLA!!"
A hysteric laugh answered him.
He felt his cheeks hurt, because of the huge smile he wore.
And in his run, he couldn't help but think..
Looking at the light blue sky above his head.
That this was a good day.