Dreaming On - Kuroko no Basket

Leaving it to Fate

            “The only one who can beat me,” Aomine’s voice vibrated on the court, “is me.” He smirked at Kagami and the others behind him. “You can’t fight me on your own.” We watched as Aomine headed towards Kuroko and me on the bench.

            “Come on out, Tetsu. You too, brat.” Aomine motioned towards the two of us. Riko glanced at us.

            “Kuroko-kun, Masa-kun.”

            An unnoticeable smile appeared on Kuroko’s face while mine was full-blown. “We’re fine. We’ve had plenty of time to rest.” We both stood up, taking our shirts off, revealing our Seirin jersey underneath.

            “We’re going,” Kuroko replied. Aomine smirked at us in amusement, “Show me. Show me the strength of the new light and shadow.”

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            I made sure to trail behind Kagami and Aomine, who was catching up quickly to Kagami. The second Aomine was onto him, I smirked. Kagami had back-tipped the ball behind him towards me. I caught the ball and went for a three-pointer. I jumped up high and leaned a bit back, aiming for a formless shot.

            “What’s this, Bakagami? That was actually a nice pass!” I chuckled, praising him and enjoying the surprised look on Aomine’s face.

            “Please make this shot, Masa-kun!” I heard the first-years cheering for me. A vein popped on my head.

            “Of course it’ll go in, you bakas! Do you not have faith in me?!” I demanded, landing on my feet.

            The whistle blew and the Seirin team cheered. I smiled, glancing at the scoreboard. Touou – 59. Seirin – 42. We only have 5:30 left in this third quarter. The ball was back in play – Susa had the ball and he was closing in on our basket. Kagami blocked Susa, which forced him to pass to Imayoshi. I grinned when I saw Kuroko intercept the pass and passed the ball to Izuki.

            “Go, sempai!” I cheered, running to block Imayoshi. “Hook shot!”

            “Oi! Stop narrating the play, baka!” Hyuga punched down on my head. I only smiled and gave him a thumbs-up.

            “Hai, hai!” I replied, running down the court alongside Izuki and Kuroko. I didn’t stop even when Izuki passed to Kuroko, who performed his Ignite Pass.

            “Kuro –” I gasped in shock when Aomine caught the pass that was meant for me. “Damn it!” I shouted. I quickly chanced pace, sprinting after Aomine. My feet barely touched the polished floor as I ran towards Aomine. He blew past Izuki and Hyuga without a blink and headed straight for the basket.

            “Nooo!” I jumped up, determined to stop Aomine. Kagami and Kuroko also sprang up next to me. But Aomine forcefully dunked the ball into the net, pushing the three of us down. The audience roared in awe but I glared at Aomine. My vision began to pulsate (focusing in and out) and I pushed myself up off the floor. I fell as my legs and arms visibly trembled.

            “How sad,” Aomine noted. I glanced up and found him smirking at the three of us – Kagami, Kuroko, and I.

            “Shut up,” I growled at him, feeling the urge to lunge at him. I pushed myself up, wobbling unsteadily to my feet. Hyuga and Izuki rushed over to help me up. Kuroko and Kagami stood up behind me, intensifying the tense atmosphere. “I am better than you in many ways. WE are better than you. Yes, it is a struggle to catch up to you in basketball, but what do you have that we don’t?” I asked Aomine. He narrowed his eyes at me in distaste.