Dreaming On - Kuroko no Basket

Following the Path

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to finally post something! I've been terribly busy with life, college, and yeah. Haha, anyways, I know this isn't the best chapter, but please bear with it! I'll have the next one up ASAP!

Love you all for following me, the story, and just always encouraging me!

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            "Fake to the left. Sidestep. Rotate around opponent. Hook ball behind me, spin around. Back towards opponent. Hook right leg in between theirs and quickly rotate around. Break right. Three-pointer!" I chanted under my breath, narrating my moves. I watched with narrowed eyes as the orange basketball rolled around the rim before smoothly dropping into the net.

"Damn it!" I brought my trembling hands up towards my face, inspecting them. They were tinged with a pink hue from the rough ball handling for two hours. I clenched them into fists before relaxing them as I took a deep breath.

I had realized that I had been neglecting basketball in favor of dancing, and that brought a slight twinge to my heart. I had been neglecting Kaname's – no, our dreams. I dragged a hand down the side of my face before jogging towards the forgotten basketball lying on the court. There was no way that I was going to put my other goals before mine and Kaname's most important dream. His goal of winning a major basketball tournament in Japan slowly became one of my goals, and I was determined to make it come true.

A new glint shone brightly in my eyes as adrenaline pumped through my veins, bringing me to a new high. I jogged back to the center line, dribbling the orange orb next to me. I quickly sprinted towards my imaginary opponent, and as they made a move towards me with their arms outstretched, I purposely allowed my eyes to drift towards the left. I curved my right hand into a hook with the ball nestled in my palm, and proceeded to fake the guard out. My hand motions were that of a pass, but the ball stayed hooked into my palm as I rapidly twisted my right shoulder into a 360-degree spin.

The next player met me head-on. I greeted him with a smirk. I hooked my right hand around the ball again, but this time, I swung the ball with a twist, bouncing it against the cement flooring between his legs. He swiped a hand out in an attempt to intercept the ball, but the basketball sharply turned on the flooring, bouncing behind the opponent. I swooped in behind the player, neatly scooping the basketball up from behind him. With a snarl on his lips, he spun around to chase after me, but I had taken advantage of his brief confusion and hopped back two steps, creating space between us. I jumped up, leaning my upper body backwards, making it almost parallel to the floor.

The ball arced high up into the air with a slow rotation to it – my famous formless shot. I landed neatly onto the balls of my feet with a crouch as I watched the ball descend towards the net at a rapid velocity with a smirk. It sank into the hoop with an audible 'swish', making me laugh breathlessly with glee. My laughter was cut short when I heard my ringtone blare out an embarrassingly familiar Nightcore remix, "I can't count all the time that I had to say I'm sorry, for wanting a few more bits than my Atari. Don't play a game, boy, they said it would get old. But girls like me are curious and can't be told no."

I silently thanked Kami that there was no one else present this late at night as I wondered for the hundredth time why I had let him choose this as his ringtone. I quickly hurried over to my phone to pick it up.

"Moshimoshi?" I answered although I knew who was on the other line.

"Why the hell haven't you been answering your phone?" His baritone voice lazily drawled out. I silently cursed my fellow pink-haired friend for letting it slip that I was no longer in Japan. Deciding to play it cool, I cheekily responded, "Why? Do you miss me?"

When Aomine didn't answer, I knew I had him.

"Ha! So you do miss me! Awww, are you lonely without me, Aomine?" I continued to prod good-naturally. Without missing a beat, I heard him scoff.

"As if. One less nuisance to take care of."

"Ahaha~ so mean, Dai-chan~" I cooed, purposely using Momoi's nickname for him.

"Shut up, gaki," came his gruff response. A grin unconsciously made its way to my lips as I listened to his deep voice. "Where are you?"

"America," I softly replied. I was met with silence, except for our breaths that could be heard through the receiver.

"Your team won't be much of a competition then."

"Don't, Aomine. Don't say that," I harshly bit out. "They're just as good as your team. At least we know we can depend on one another as teammates and friends. I'll be back for the Winter Cup and make you eat your words."

"Ha, whatever," he mumbled. The two of us fell into a comfortable silence as the tension simmered away. I sighed into the receiver as the night grew darker, signaling to Aomine that our time was up for the night.

"I'm heading home now. I'll text you when I get back," I offered. And Aomine being Aomine, he simply grunted and hung up. I gathered my duffle bag and basketball up and made my way back home with the streetlights illuminating the dark. A light 'ping' echoed through the night, causing me to rummage through my pockets to search for my phone.

Midorima Shintaro – 2 new messages.

I tapped the screen of my smartphone to unlock it, opening the new message. I stifled a snort of laughter when I had finished reading it. Typical Mido-kun.

Don't forget where your goals and dreams in mind lie. Follow the path and overcome the obstacles, then you will find everything you have earned. Preserve through it all.

Lucky item of the day: green ribbon.

I gently fingered the green ribbon that I had tied onto the strap of my duffle bag earlier today, softly smiling. That's what I plan on doing, Mido-kun – I'm going to follow that path and conquer everything standing in my way. I'll make it happen.

My fingers flew over the screen as I typed out a response, Thanks for cheering me up, Mido-kun! Love you lots! I closed out of my messages, tucking my phone away with a small smile on my face. I tilted my head up towards the sky with a sigh as I wondered, What's going to happen now?

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A/N2: I know there wasn't a lot of action in this one, but I promise promise promise that the next one will be a little more dramatic! <3 <3