Dreaming On - Kuroko no Basket

Going Home

A/N: Hey guys! Here's chapter 49, and things are certainly picking up! I'm in the fifth week of summer classes, and I'm dying. I've never taken physics before and it's moving fast. Please pray for me and help me. #pray4jess #collegesucks #physicsmorelikephysucks

"Block her!"

"Why don't you do it?!"

"Because YOU'RE the one who said that you had Masami covered!" Michael and I shared a small grin, listening to Kyle and Liam bicker. Sam was standing off towards the sideline where Alex stood, watching us play a 2-on-2. Days had passed by in a blink of the eye, leaving me with two more days until the Winter Cup.

"Alright, you hooligans!" Alex called out, startling all of us. "I have another student to train, so I want the five of you gone! Go! Shoo!"

"Sheesh, what a grumpy old lady," muttered Michael. With startling accuracy, Alex hurled the basketball towards the back of Mike's head, causing him to face plant the ground.

"Who are you calling a 'grumpy old lady', huh?!" My eyes widened in awe as I witnessed smoke emitting from her ears. Michael slowly pulled himself up from the ground with fat crocodile tears pooling in his eyes before wailing, "BULLY! ALEX IS A BIG, FAT, UGLY BULLY!"

Just as the former WNBA player winded up, ready to lob another ball at Michael, the five of us scattered, running down the sidewalk away from the furious woman. As soon as we were out of view, we slowed to a walk, taking our time to get back home.

"You're definitely going back to Japan for the Winter Cup, right?" asked Kyle. I nodded my head to confirm it.

"You know that Mr. King is going to be pretty mad if you don't show up to dance, right?" Michael added. Once again, I nodded my head, already having thought it through.

"I know," I responded. "I've already told him, and he told me if I really loved basketball that much that I was willing to go back to Japan to compete, then I should go. He told me that he'll welcome me back if I decide to come back."

That caught their attention.

"Wait, what do you mean, 'if I come back'?" A sad smile formed on my lips as I continued to stare ahead, focused on the sidewalk and not on the four teens next to me.

"I don't think I'm going to return once I get back to Japan. That's my home, and I have to finish what I've started. I have a dream that I need to fulfill and I need to finish high school. I still have my piano and ballet careers ahead of me. Once I finish them, I'll come back," I explained. "I just don't know when I'll come back."

"If you truly love basketball that much, you should go." One of the boys said. I whirled around, surprising them with my sudden movement. With a grin so wide, the corners of my eyes crinkled upward.

"Winter Cup starts in two days, and I'll be leaving that morning to get there by the opening ceremony. So once my team makes it past the first round and we have a place secured in the bracket, please come visit and watch me play!"

My eyes searched theirs one by one, searching for the answer I was hoping to hear.

"You know I will," Sam grinned, tucking his hands into his pockets. Liam followed suit, tucking one hand into his pocket while the other one ruffled his hair, sighing, "I guess I will too since you'll nag me if I don't go."

If it was possible, my smile became wider as tears prickled in the corners of my eyes. I'm so thankful to have met these guys. My cherry-colored eyes slid over towards Kyle and Michael, waiting for their responses. I got them in the form of their heads nodding.

"T-thank you!" With that, the tears slowly escaped and trailed down my cheeks.

"H-hey! Why are you crying?!"

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I woke up at 4am to the incessant ringing of my phone. Still groggy from sleep, I fumbled around, trying to reach for my device that was on the night stand. Not bothering to check the caller ID, I went ahead and answered it, my voice still husky.

"Hello?"

"Masami-chan?" Riko's familiar voice echoed over the receiver.

"Ah!" I quickly switched over to Japanese, "Riko! Why are you calling me so early in the morning?" I heard Riko taking a deep breath in before belting out, "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN 'SO EARLY IN THE MORNING', HUH?! It's 7 o'clock here in Japan! The Winter Cup is tomorrow at 2pm! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?"

I jolted upright in my bed, panic gripping me tight in its clutches. The gears in my mind quickly whirred around, trying the figure the days and times out.

"Shit! There's a 16 hour difference between California and Japan!" I cursed under my breath, swinging my feet off the bed and running towards my closet. "Riko, I'll call you back later!" Without waiting for a response, I ended the phone call and placed my phone back onto my night stand before yanking out my suitcase and duffle bag.

"Ok, so it's 4am, and it's technically 7pm in Japan. The opening ceremony starts at 2pm tomorrow, so I should have until 3 in the afternoon. Yosh!" I clapped my hands together before turning to face my closet. "Now I have to get packing..."

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By the time I had finished packing and bought an airplane ticket for a one-way trip with no stops to Japan, it was seven in the morning and the sun had yet to rise. I quietly exited my house, remembering to lock the door behind me. I made my way to the driveway where Alex sat in the car, waiting for me. I glanced back at the house once I made it to her car, feeling slightly guilty for only leaving Otou-san a note explaining where I was and what I was doing.

I opened the back seat and placed my suitcase and duffle bag on the seat, shutting the door close and then making my way to the passenger side. I slid into Alex's sedan and closed the door, huffing out a sigh.

"Ready to go home?" Alex inquired, looking at me with a grin. I reciprocated a small smile and turned my head forward to look through the windshield at my house, "Yeah, I'm ready to go home." I'm ready to go back home to them.