Dreaming On - Kuroko no Basket

The Struggling Shadow

A/N: Yikes, I can't believe it's been a solid 7 months since my last update. Well, I just finished my second-to-last semester of undergrad, and I managed to achieve a 4.0 GPA (for the first time in my undergrad career) by sacrificing three month's worth of sleep (I mean that literally). Whoo~ I may have aged about 10 years due to the lack of sleep and stress, but I'm almost out! If any of you out there can relate, then props to you too for surviving. Anyways, I've been busy with DPT applications for grad school while watching my savings wither away. RIP. 

Once again, don't forget to leave comments and ratings! :) Thanks for sticking with me!

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"Ignite Pass – Kai!" I watched in awe as Kuroko passed the ball straight by Aomine, catching him by surprise. Aomine had attempted to block Kuroko's Ignite Kai, only to have his arm fling backwards with the force of the pass. Teppei ran down the length of the court, catching Kuroko's pass. By the time Teppei managed to go in for a dunk, Wakamatsu was on top of him, prepared to knock the ball out of the gentle giant's grasp. I watched as the two of them struggled for control of the ball, only for Teppei to quickly bring his right arm down and toss the basketball behind him. Open for the pass, Kagami took advantage of his position and went in for a dunk.

"Yeah! An alley-oop!" Koganei, Tsuchida, and the other three first-years exclaimed. I knew that both teams were just getting started based on the intensity coating the air. My eyes flickered back and forth between the ball changes for Touou and Seirin. The fast pace was beginning to take a toll on my teammates, prompting me to turn to Riko with a solemn expression.

"Please let me go in, Riko. If we don't do anything, we'll fall behind."

"After we see what Kagami does," she negotiated, focused on the faceoff between Kagami and Aomine. One wrong move and we might lose the game. Come on, Kagami! It was as if he heard my silent plead – his crimson eyes met mine before he passed the ball off to Izuki.

"Seirin High, time out!" The referee called out, sounding the buzzer. I was buzzing with anticipation when my teammates walked back to the bench. Listening to the audience, I heard them fume with disappointment about not seeing the two aces go at each other head-to-head. Quietly scoffing, I thought, to an amateur, they thought Kagami fled the battle. But to a pro, they knew that was the smartest move. Kagami and Aomine took those five seconds to analyze each other, playing a mental situational game between them.

"Kuroko's new pass takes a heavy toll on his body, so he can't use it all the time," Teppei interjected. "More importantly, it'd be dangerous to use it repeatedly against Aomine."

Riko nodded in agreement, bringing her hand under her chin. "Kuroko, sit out and let Masami-chan go in for you." Kuroko and I shared a glance, nodding our heads in agreement.

"I mean, I can start shooting from the outside. So Masami and Izuki, pass the ball to me,"
Hyuuga calmly said. "Touou's defense is currently strong on the inside, so I'll draw their attention out."

"Okay! We're counting on you, Hyuuga," Riko agreed. As I got off the bench to join Kagami, Hyuuga, Teppei and Izuki onto the glistening court, Riko placed her hand on my shoulder, stopping me for a moment. "Don't let me down." I nodded my head.

Shot after shot, the "apologetic mushroom" (as Hyuuga kindly described him) became more agitated, attempting to keep up with Hyuuga's Barrier Shots. Every time Izuki and I managed to land our hands on the ball, they would go towards Hyuuga without hesitation. It wasn't until Sakurai snapped on the fourth shot Hyuuga made that he forced his shot on our net.