6 years ago....
Seijuro's Childhood
"For most children, they'd find it smart to keep away from the creepy street players, brats." Seijuro Akashi stepped back at the threatening tone the big, tall man had used and immediately looked at the red-haired girl beside him. They were both rather short, even for 10 year olds.
The girl didn't waver and stood her ground, "Really? Is that so, Mister? Why can't we play?" Akashi looked at her and tried to convince her to leave with him but she didn't budge. She loved basketball and her mother didn't allow her to play in an official game; street basketball was the only option available. "And I need a decent reason too."
She and the man had a staring contest and the stranger was quite impressed and pleased with the fire burning in her miss matched eyes, "I like your guts, kid. You know what? I'll give you a chance. You two are young so I'll let you use the small court. Get the ball in the hoop two times, one for each of ya, and I'll let you join." The hoop was indeed small and the mans team was really surprised to see their leader giving strangers the chance to join the group!
As they were introduced to the children's court, the girl turned to Akashi, her eyes sparkling. "See this, Sei-kun? We're getting the chance to be in basketball!" Akashi couldn't restrain himself either. He may have been nervous before but that was because the man was so intimidating. He was beside himself with joy now that the other obstacle was passed!
"Yes! Thank you, Shuiro-chan!" The one thing they both enjoyed more than anything else, Akashi and his twin sister, Shuiro Akashi, was basketball. The squeak of the shoes against the court. The sweat pouring down their faces. The swish of the net when the ball went in effortlessly. It made them so restless. Shuiro especially. The red-haired girl fell in love with the sport the moment she laid eyes on it and managed to share this love with her little brother.
Now Shuiro had the light, round ball in her hands. She juggled it around, getting used to it before she measured the hoop. Such intelligence for such a young child, so experienced. Even since she could use her brain properly, it was focused on basketball.
She watched the NBA every night, cheering incoherent words when a player would do something marvellous, chatting about it whenever someone would talk to her. It was what made her whole. Basketball. Of course, her mother was convinced it was a phase and that she, along with Sei, would grow out of it but they only managed to grow into it, loving it even more than before.
The leader threw a worn out basketball at Shiki who caught it with surprising ease. She juggled it around and tested it once more before a gleeful smile made her look innocent, "Perfect!" The leader chuckled at her enthusiasm and the group watched.
It was rare for their leader to allow a child, let alone one he had no relation to. There were children on the team but they were related to him somehow, but they had to pass the consecutive scoring test as well. He must have seen some sort of potential otherwise they'd be shooed away when they asked.
Shuiro examined the hoop, calculating the distance and the amount of force necessary. With a deep inhale, Shuiro decided for a formless shot, 'Here goes nothing...' She thought as the anxiety finally made itself known, but it didn't have time to provoke her because she threw the ball. It flew in a high arc and with her calculating eyes, Shuiro could see the ball going in already.
Which was the cause for her early celebration, "Yes!" She cheered, throwing her hands in the air. Some of the people around her were a little annoyed at her early celebration, but didn't say anything as they heard the net swish and the ball bounce ferociously on the ground.
She turned to Akashi, who was actually really proud and even more nervous, and ran to him over joyed. "Did you see that, Sei-kun? I'm sure if I can do it, you can too!" Akashi's eyes never left the ball, even as it rolled over to his feet and hit them.
He was a little uncertain.
"...But, Shu-chan...what if I miss?" Shuiro countered that question quickly, "You wont. I believe in you."
"But what if I do? Wont that ruin your chances too?" Shuiro stood there silently, thinking before she shrugged surprising her brother.
"Oh well. That doesn't matter that much. I'm not playing the game without you, we'll just have to find another place to play." Shuiro's voice was laced with dedication and Akashi knew she was telling the truth and the whole truth. She wouldn't abandon him. No way.
So with a new found confidence, Akashi stood inside the semi-circle and studied the hoop. In his eyes, it was a lot taller and further away than in reality, so his confidence faded away and his stomach jumped. 'No! You'll get it, Shu-chan believes you can! Don't ruin it for both of us...' out of instinct, Akashi released the ball and closed his eyes in fear.
'Swosh!'
Akashi was taken back by the force of Shuiro's strong hug, stumbling back a few steps, "You did it, Sei-kun! You got it in! Now we're one step closer to becoming professionals!"
Akashi smiled in joy. That they were.
The leader chuckled as the children in the team ran over to greet their new team mates. Hideki glanced at his face confused, "Are you sure about them, Luke?" Luke grinned and chuckled a little loudly, roughly slamming his hand on Hideki's back.
"Are you doubting your captain, Hideki?" Hideki shook his head but looked at the twins once more; specifically Shuiro. She was the only girl on the team now; would she survive street basketball? "Don't have such a sullen look. I sense some great power within them, wouldn't it be great to be known as the first team the future best basketball players had?"
"How can you automatically think they'll be the best basketball players?!" Hideki shouted outraged before he pushed his glasses further up his nose.
Luke suddenly had a much more serious look as he crossed his arms and watched as Seijuuro and Shuiro dribbled the ball, "Really though Hideki. Are you doubting me? Trust me on this; those two right there." He pointed to the twins as Akashi laughed at Shuiro for being shocked at the ball being stolen from her. The sight made him smile. "...They'll be huge."
Hideki didn't doubt him. Luke had that determination in his voice, the determination he didn't even use against the thugs who asked for a battle against them.
"...Got it."
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"So, you two brats are going to middle school soon, right?" Luke asked from the sidelines. Akashi glanced back at his teacher and nodded, flicking his wrist and sending the ball into the hoop, "Which one?"
Shuiro caught it as it fell down and threw it towards Akashi, who caught it like it was a sponge. "Teiko." She answered simply before she lifted her shirt to wipe her forehead, "We start tomorrow." She answered his un-asked question, causing laughter to fill the air. Caused by none other than Luke himself. The tall and now well-aged man walked forehead and slammed his big hands on brother the short twin's heads, ruffling their red hair.
"You two brats sure have grown!" A red tick appeared on Shuiro's face as she whacked away Luke's hand, not appreciating her hair being touched. She was still a girl! "Although I'm not sure if I'm happy or not with your lack of talking." Their father wasn't around them much, always working, so Akashi and Shuiro had become increasingly distant.
Akashi dribbled the ball idly before throwing it effortlessly at the hoop again, watching as it bounced of the rim and Shuiro getting the rebound before she did a lay up.
"We'll be alright there, Luke, even if it is far away." Yeah, Teiko was a lot further away from where they were living now, so it required them to move. The twins came back for one last visit but would probably never come back again, especially considering their father hadn't entirely approved of their involvement with street basketball.
They'd already been there for a while and Akashi was a good leader too...though most only followed his orders because of the unfaithful day he threatened to stab Hideki with the scissors he was using (which was for a project in his school) he carried a pair of red scissors from then on out.
Obviously, the boy liked the color red a lot. Shuiro proved to be the more calm and collected of the two. Though they all knew she was silently judging them. Her passive stare put a lot on nerve and often caused them to miss a lot of shots when they played. Her being her took advantage of every rebound and her and Akashi had a twin-telepathy going on between them with their cordination.
Luke looked at his best students, the ones he was closest too and sighed. "I'll miss ya brats." Akashi chuckled a bit and Shuiro smiled, "Yeah, we will too." Akashi didn't need to say that but it was implied when Shuiro did.
Luke suddenly got Akashi and Shuiro in a headlock, "And if you two forget to mention my name when you are rich, famous for being bloody good basketball players, I'll kill ya!" He was so naive sometimes...
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That night, Shuiro laid awake on her bed as she stared up at the ceiling, her eyes occasionally diverting to her wall clock to check the time before they eventually landed on her and Akashi's calender, her eyes particularly on a certain date. It was her monthly check up, something she had taken upon herself to do without the presense of their chaperone.
Shuiro was diagnosed with ALL (Acute lymphocytic leukaemia) when she was just a child, and she had spent many months, even a year at one point, in the hospital fighting it. Once she wasn't in a threatening state anymore, and it was 'removed', she was allowed to go back to school.
Unfortunately, Shuiro knew her symptoms and they were starting to make an appearance soon and gosh, she hoped the symptoms were just a coincidence.
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Authors Note:
I will continue to call Seijuuro by his last name, Akashi, because his first name is so long to type and I don't think much people are that accustomed to it, so I'll stick with calling him Akashi. No, I don't know if his father is dead or his mother or anything of the sort. This is my fanfic and his father's dying.
Yes, Shuiro has got cancer. I've edited this chapter and will begin editing the story, adding in things about Shuiro's sickness since I've changed the plot quite a bit. Hope you liked it! This was just the usual beginning chapter that fills you in on everything, and now that I've done that the real fun will begin!