In Shadows | Kuroko no Basket Fan Fiction

7. Sudden Downpour

In Shadows

Chapter Seven

Sudden Downpour

- Two weeks later -

"Kagami! Kuroko!" she called. She smiled brightly and waved eagerly at the two boys; Kuroko sitting straight and immersed in a book, while Kagami leaned back lazily in his chair. They both looked up as Gina called out their names.

Kagami looked up and grinned, "Gina!" 

Kuroko smiled as she neared. "Hello."

She grinned, and came to stand between them. "It's good to see you guys!"

Over the past few weeks, Gina had found herself collecting the courage to talk to Kuroko and Kagami more and more. What had started out as a few quiet greetings when they passed each other in the halls, to stopping for small conversations, greeting each other warmly when they entered class... Gina now felt comfortable and accepting amongst them. Kagami's height didn't put her off anymore- she was now very much used to it.

Their friendship had grown so much and they were now so comfortable around each order to the point where Gina no longer felt the need to add honourifics after their names, and they felt the same way. While they might not be as close as she was with Saki or Momoi, they still had a strong friendship that wouldn't easily be broken.

"How did the track club go yesterday?"

Gina hesitated, her smile and her cheery outlook facing slightly at the mention of the club she'd joined. "Not very well," she admitted quietly. Her gaze drifted subconsciously to the floor. "I'm still a long way behind the others."

Unfortunately, this was true. The two years worth of difference between their abilities only seemed to make itself more and more known the longer Gina remained in the team. No matter how hard she pushed herself that resulted in her lungs burning with a fierce need for oxygen, no matter how much she ran to the point of her muscles screaming at her and begging her to stop, no matter how much sweat poured down her forehead, it wasn't enough. Her times were barely improving, and the gap between her times and the times of the others only seemed to get wider. Even when she managed to decrease her average time, the others did the same.

She knew people were wondering why she'd ever joined the club in the first place. From the way things were going, it didn't even look like she'd be able to qualify to compete in competitions. It wasn't exactly the sort of thing that boosted your confidence. Gina wondered if she was even cut out to be a sprinter at all.

Maybe she'd have been better off joining another club. The literature club might have ended up being boring, but she knew a lot of books, since she'd been reading a lot ever since she came back to Japan.

She hadn't noticed she'd started a prolonged silence or that her head was hanging until Kagami spoke.

"But you're improving," he told her. "That's a good sign. You'll be showing them soon, Gina, and they'll be sorry they ever doubted you." He grinned in her direction.

Kuroko nodded. "That's right. Keep working, Gina. You'll get there."

Her spirits lifted a little at their words, and she smiled appreciatively at them. Whatever happened, she knew her friends would be there and have her back. She felt especially encouraged after Kuroko spoke. She knew he had struggled a lot when he first joined the basketball club at Teiko, and it had taken him a while to become a part of the team.

If he could do it, Gina knew she could, as well.

"Thanks, you guys," she murmured. Wanting to change the topic to something more lighthearted, she asked, "How's basketball practice coming along? You said the first round of the Winter Cup preliminaries are coming up soon?"