Dreaming On - Kuroko no Basket

┆54┆Breathless┆

With 9:45 left in the game, we were at 64 – 73. I raced down the court, the basketball pounding against the slick floor beside me. Aomine darted alongside my lithe figure with a feral grin on his lips. My eyes flickered over to him with a smirk when I saw him attempt to step in front of me. Out of the corner of my eyes, I grinned when I saw Kuroko entering my field of vision. Combining my speed with Kuroko's Misdirection Overflow, I slipped away from Aomine, skipping forward in time to reappear behind him.

The giant gasped out a strangled breath, astonishment coloring his expression when he whirled around. By the time he realized what had occurred, I was already landing back down onto the ground after the successful layup.

"Masa-kun!!" My teammates on the bench cheered, pumping their fists into the air. I could only roll my eyes at their enthusiasm. The uphill battle against Touou and Aomine only became harder.

In retaliation for the layup, Aomine swiftly grabbed the ball and thundered down the court to slam the orange orb into the hoop. I placed my hands on my knees, hoping to catch a quick breath. Sweat slowly dripped down my forehead, making the wig itchy. I glanced around the court to see that my teammates were also panting in exhaustion. I watched in fascination as Kagami's broad shoulder heaved as he inhaled and exhaled rapidly. With his and Aomine's backs facing me, I could tell that they both had broad backs, and – without a doubt – lined with thick muscles.

My eyes flickered up to the scoreboard, putting a halt to my observations of the two powerhouses on the court. Damn it, we're not closing the gap! I thought I'd be able to take Aomine on after seeing Alex! My hands resting on the top of my knees clenched into fists. I have to be enough!

A hand landed on my shoulder, breaking me out of my thoughts. I glanced up to see Kagami looking down at me with fire burning in his eyes.

"Don't worry about it. Let's shift gears," he murmured, close to the shell of my ear. His warm breath washed over my ear, enlisting light shocks that reverberated through my body. It was the jumpstart that I needed. I nodded in agreement, straightening myself back up to lightly touch his sweaty forearm. Just as Hyuuga jogged over to us with Kuroko in tow, I dropped my hand from Kagami's arm.

"Listen, you've both been able to stay on that monster as much as you have because of who you guys are. The Touou team can't stop you either." Hyuuga placed his hand on top of my head. "So, we'll take it three points at a time!"

I glanced over at Kuroko and Kagami, catching their eyes. A silent understanding flitted among the three of us. With the ball back in play, Izuki hurled the ball toward our captain. Sakurai planted himself in Hyuuga's path once again in hopes of stopping the Barrier Jump. Hyuuga took a quick step back, jumped up and threw the ball for a three-pointer. Kagami and Izuki were guarding underneath the net, blocking Wakamatsu and Susa from the possible rebound.

Sakurai's eyes widened in horror as he glanced back toward the hoop to see the ball fall through the hoop smoothly. The scoreboard now read 68 – 75.

"That's our captain!!"

The fast-paced match continued with Wakamatsu roughly passing the ball to Sakurai. Hyuuga stepped in front of the the brunette, with steely determination.

"I'm the better shooter!" The apologetic mushroom hollered, jumping up for a long three. Better shooter or not, his rhythm was completely off. A flash of black darted by me, alerting me of Aomine's presence. I immediately chased after him, hot on his heels.

"Tch," Aomine groused out. "Getting flustered just because they closed the gap a little... Give me the ball!" The navy-haired monster had slid in behind Hyuuga as he yelled at Sakurai. Kagami instantly moved in close proximity to his counterpart.