Dreaming On - Kuroko no Basket

┆2┆Surprise Us, Masami┆

I found the gym quicker than I had anticipated. Tying my hair into a high ponytail, I used the side of my hip to push the gym doors open. During homeroom, I had to introduce myself in 1-A where the population in the class was 99% boys. I sighed, Whatever...

The gym was empty to my advantage. I had found a rack of basketballs sitting at the side near one wall of the gym, and I began shooting hoops, doing one-man alley oops and practicing my lay-ups. After ten minutes of practicing, I felt warmed up.

"Guess it can't be helped," I muttered. I took my mp3 player out from underneath the shorts I wore beneath my skirt and placed the earbuds in my ear. I searched for "The Willoughby's Lullaby" and played the song. The music softly whispered in my ears. I closed my eyes and kicked my indoor shoes off, holding on to a basketball. I began to dance. I leapt into the air, tossing the ball up. I landed gently on the gym floor, lifting a leg up while bending backwards slowly.  My timing when I caught the ball as impeccable. I continued to dance until the song slowly was about to come to the end; until I was near the hoop did I stop dancing. The song finished just like a buzzer, signalling the end. It was then that I jumped into the air, rushing past the basket, switching the ball from my right hand to my left and back to my right, tossing it behind me, aiming for the net. Swish. I landed, crouching on the ground, panting. I stood back up, taking the earbuds out, I gave a little cry of despair, "Wahh! That was terrible!" I picked the basketball up, placing it back on the rack.

I turned around, about to leave when I saw a herd of boys staring at me. Ten boys and one girl to be exact. My face paled as I stood froze in my spot.

"Ano... you guys didn't happen to see what I was doing, right?" I asked nervously. Speechless, they all nodded their heads. "All of it or just now?"

"All of it," the girl piped up.

"Ehh?? You're that girl from yesterday!" One of the guys shouted. I searched for the source of the voice and once again found the boy with brown hair from yesterday's recruitment at school and at the basketball court, Koganei. I saw Mitobe, Hyūga, Izuki, and Tsuchida. I spiritually died on the inside. This is so not happening to me.

"Who do you think you are?" A voice thundered. "Dancing is different from basketball, so don't mix the two together." I saw a tall, red-haired guy shooting daggers from his eyes at me. What the hell?

"Come join our basketball team. We definitely need a spunky girl like you!" The girl interjected, ignoring the red-head.

"Oi, Riko!" So that was her name. "We can't just let a girl on the team!"

"Baka Kagami! Bakagami!" She turned around and punched him in the stomach. Kagami, eh? This will be fun. "Come back here after school!" With a nod and a hestiant agreement on my end, I scurried off to my homeroom class, leaving the others behind. The "1-A" sign that hung above the doorway sent some comfort through my tense body. I slid the door open, fluidly moving through the throng of classmates standing around, chatting with their friends. It wasn't until sensei had strolled in on time with the ringing bell that I noticed two figures attempting to sneak in quietly - the blue-haired boy from earlier who had stuck close to Kagami. And not to mention, I was only a couple of seats away from Kagami.

╞════════𖠁𐂃𖠁════════╡

"All the first-years are here, Coach!" Hyūga called out. Turns out that the girl was the coach, and Hyūga was the captain. Everyone was introduced yesterday after the opening ceremony. Once again, I stood in front of everyone, introducing myself. I heard them whispering among themselves concerning about my abilities due to my gender. Hyūga and Izuki ended up punching the back of their heads.

"You're wrong," they both said. "She's actually really good. You'll see."

"First years against second years!" Riko shouted, tossing blue and yellow jerseys out.

"Ehhh... I would make the teams uneven, Riko-chan," I reminded her. Realization dawned on her.

"Okay, Masami-chan," Riko placed a finger on her chin, thinking. "That's it! Kagami! You sit down and let Masami-chan play!" Disbelief was etched all over his face. I smirked, amused.

"What the hell?!" Kagmi roared. I could almost see the flames in his eyes. Riko punched his side, causing him to cringe before tossing me the yellow jersey. I grinned, slipping it on.

"Kuroko-kun, what is your position?" I suddenly asked the blue-haired boy standing next to me.

"Ehh? Kuroko is here?!" Furihata, Kawahara, and Fukuda jumped to the side even though they were in front of me and Kuroko. "Masaka! (no way!)" I stared at them quizzically.

"Do you guys ignore your own teammate?" Appalled at how they treated their own teammate, I shook my head.

"You noticed me?"

I turned, facing Kuroko. "Erm... was I not supposed to?"

He shook his head, a small smile appearing.

╞════════𖠁𐂃𖠁════════╡

"Fukuda!" I shouted, running towards the basket. Mitobe ran alongside me, trying to guard me. My pink eyes met Fukuda's grey ones. He saw the determined gaze and decided to take a chance. He forcefully hit the ball in my direction, bouncing high into the air. With Mitobe's height he could have gotten the ball easily, but I was smaller and more agile. I ducked under his arms, running at full speed before jumping into the air. Thanks to my ballet, I rose higher than Mitobe, snatching the ball before his hands got to it. They all stared at me in awe, but I ignored them, going straight for my goal.

I was too into the game to care that they all stared at me. Kuroko was the only one who wasn't fazed by my jump, so naturally, he ran up to the basket with me. They all came back to their senses fast. Hyūga suddenly appeared in front of me, trying to snatch the ball from my hands. I twisted around, from right to left, my sneakers squeaking on the polished floor. Hyūga immediately countered it, but I switched the ball from my right hand to my left and back to the right, tricking him. I decided to pull off the same trick they saw earlier from my dance. I rushed past Hyūga, jumping in the air once I was slightly past the basket, tossing the ball into a high arc behind me. SWISH.

"Tweet!" Riko's whistle tweeted, signalling another two points was earned. "Seconds-years 48; first-years 56! Time!"

"Wahh! Fujioka-san, you were great!" Everyone instantly came over to me, praising me. I slightly blushed, a bit embarrassed about receiving so much attention.

"Eto...just call me Masami." I shyly rubbed the back of my neck. 

"Masami-chan!" They eagerly shouted my first name out. "In exchange, I'm not going to use honorifics with your names, ne? It's too much of a hassle to use honorifics, especially during games." I smiled. 

╞════════𖠁𐂃𖠁════════╡

(3rd Person POV)

"Riko, what do you think of her?" Hyūga nodded his head in the direction of the new girl on the team. He had to admit, she was pretty talented.

"Her numbers are incredibly high. A bit higher than Kagami's right now. She'll definitely surpass everyone one day, without a doubt. Maybe even up to the level of the Generation of Miracles," Riko whispered. But there was something strange about the way how Masami played. Riko couldn't figure out whether if it was because of Masami being a dancer, her form, or her skills that was making Riko feel uneasy.