In Shadows

Chapter One

Faded Memories

"Here!"

Amber, their centre, heard Gina's sudden call for the ball. Acting quickly, she threw the ball at a high arc through the air, in order to avoid the Goal Defence that had suddenly appeared. Gina narrowed her eyes in concentration as the ball quickly sailed through the air. Timing was everything here.

Gina jumped at the same time as her defender. The defender was taller than she was, but that wasn't really a surprise. Basically all defenders were taller than her. Heck, almost all players were taller than she was!

But Amber was skilled, particularly when it came to passing. She had made sure to lob the ball just high enough so the ball would pass over the defender's fingertips, and curve down just after. Then, it was up to Gina to pluck the ball from the air.

As expected, the ball just skimmed over the defender's hand, barely missing the skin. Gina stretched out as she reached the peak of her jump, feeling the rough surface of the ball just touch her fingers. With all her will, she pulled the ball in, and held it within her two hands.

Gina pivoted on her foot so she looked at the goal post. She breathed out, getting herself into her shooting position. Mid-range shot. This should go in.

Gina bent her knees and pushed up, the ball releasing from her hands -

"Gina!"

The voice came suddenly, effectively shocking Gina. Her eyes opened in a flash at the sudden call of her name, the image of her match disappearing as she did so.

After rubbing her eyes, Gina twisted her head around, and smiled as she spotted the owner of the voice. She raised her hand. "Saki!"

Fujioka Saki, her closest and best friend at Seirin, grinned as she ran forward. Quickly, the redhead puled her seat out and sat down behind her desk, which was behind Gina's.

Gina still thought that the arrangement of desks in Japan was a little too formal. She had lived in Australia two years ago, and back there the desks were all arranged into groups or rows where she could easily talk to all of her friends, not the single-desk seating they had in Japan. Things had felt more relaxed in Australia in comparrision to this.

Gina chuckled and pushed her glasses up her nose as she looked  at  her friend. Saki flicked her hair behind her ear, which was pulled back into a loose, messy ponytail. Curls continued to fall out of her ponytail. This happened almost every day; and resulted in Saki having to tie her hair back numerous times a day.

Every day, Gina couldn't help but reflect that, though she was a skilled cello player, Saki didn't have the appearance of classical music player at all. She was always energetic and in a hurry, a bit disorganised and flustered.

But when she started playing, it was as though she had undergone a complete transformation. She'd become lost in the music and played with passion that kept even Gina captivated, despite the fact she didn't have much interest for classical music at all. 

Fujioka Saki was most certainly a whirlwind, and you couldn't predict what she'd do next. But she was also the greatest friend Gina could have asked for when she transfered to this new school, away from her other best friend.

Saki sighed and pushed her long, bright red hair behind her, rolling her eyes a little. "Sucks having maths first period, doesn't it?"

Another notable thing about Saki: she despised maths. Gina wasn't too fond of it either, but she didn't specifically hate the subject. She just found it a bit boring.

"I'm still half asleep," Gina admitted, stifling a yawn behind her hand as though to prove a point. "I don't need to actually fall asleep in class."

Saki sighed dramatically, resting her face in her arms. "Maths is a waste of time," she muttered. "My strength lies in my music, I don't need maths in my future. When will I ever need to use anything we learn from trigonometry?"

"I don't know."

Saki shrugged, and Gina laughed lightly. They often had rather random conversation, which could stop and start at the flick of a switch. Despite their varying personalities - Saki being an unpredictable bubble of energy, and Gina being the quiet, more reserved girl in the background with her earphones in -  they were able to support each other and have ample amounts of fun. Gina honestly didn't know what was coming next with Saki around, but it didn't change the fact Saki was always there for her, and vice versa.

It had been like this from the first time she'd met her friend.

*          *          *

Gina felt lost, and really out of place.

She looked up at the school before her and bit her lip, feeling lost within the huge swarm of students either side of her. Despite not usually having a fear of crowds and small spaces, claustrophobic.

There was just too many people... and Gina knew none of them.

Well, there was one person she knew from middle school, but they were only acquaintances. They'd only run into and spoken to each other on a few occcasions. And she currently couldn't pick him out in the crowd.

Not that she had expected too, anyway.

Gina felt a light shove in her back, and someone's quick, "I'm sorry!" called out to her. Gina blinked and looked either side of her, and realised that she had stopped just in front of the school's gateway. No doubt the people walking around her were shooting her looks, finding it annoying that she'd just stopped for no reason.

With a small shake of her body, Gina started forward once again, and passed through the gates. At once, there were other things to contend with. The crowd around her was filled with close friends chatting and laughing, and now new voices were added to the mix: the voices of those advertising the clubs on offer that first-years could join.

"Fancy being a part of the school's newspaper?"

"Swimming club! It's great!"

"Do you like music?"

Gina bowed her head and quickened her pace, not wanting to be stopped by any of the older students standing about. She didn't want to join any of the clubs; she just wanted to get to her classroom where there were less people she had to deal with.

"Art club!"

"Baseball club!"

"Basketball club!"

Gina grimaced upon hearing the name of the last club. The basketball club. Netball was based on that sport, but yet they were two entirely different things. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

The only club I want to join doesn't exist. The sport doesn't even exist in Japan.

She'd been in Japan for a year now, but still was upset by the fact netball wasn't a recognised sport in Japan. It was the only sport she had loved.

Gina pushed her way through the rest of the crowd, and soon found herself in the clear. She breathed out in relief and entered the school building. It wasn't too busy, as most people were signing up for clubs outside. Having been told the general direction the classrooms for first-years were, Gina turned in that direction and headed there at a rather quick pace. 

There were only a few people in the classroom when Gina arrived. They must have been a close-knit group of friends, for none of them looked up when she entered. Gina scanned the many desks still available, her eyes landing on a desk next to the window, just in the middle. She nodded to herself and made her way over to it.

Just as she was about to claim the desk, Gina felt herself collide with someone. With a smal exclamation, she looked up and saw a girl with messy red curls and bright blue eyes also at the same desk she was. The other girl looked up at her with widened eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't see you coming," the other girl exclaimed. 

"Don't worry." Gina smiled and went to move her bag to the desk behind the current one they stood behind. Here, I'll take the other desk."

"No, I will!" The other girl protested, sounding to be almost heated about the matter. "You put your bag down first."

"I almost collided with you."

"But if you put your bag down first, that meant you got here first!"

The two stared at each other, unsure of how to solve their little disagreement. Neither one were willing to let the other take the other desk. It was a rather awkward situation they found themselves in.

It was the other girl who made the first action. "Here, I'll settle this. I've got the back desk."

Gina shook her head widely. "No, I can't let you do that! I -"

"Don't worry. This desk is better positioned anyway. I have a better chance of sneaking on my phone during maths and not being caught." The redhaired girl placed her bag on the said desk, pulled out the chair and sat down before Gina could say anything else. Seeing that the other girl was rather happy where she was, Gina pulled out her seat and sat down.

The black-haired girl leaned forward a little, looking at Gina with interest. "Say, what's your name?"

"Gin - sorry. Tsukino Gina." Gina flushed. She still forgot sometimes that in Japan, unlike in Australia, you spoke your last name first, not your first name.

The girl smiled, sticking out her hand. "Nice to meet you, Gina-san. I'm Fujioka Saki."

Gina smiled softly and took Saki's hand.

They shook hands, and from that moment, they easily could call each other friends.

*          *          * 

That had been months ago, back during the spring. Now, it was autumn, and winter approaching. The two of them were now inseparable, even though Gina still missed her good friend from middle school.

Saki suddenly nudged Gina. Gina turned to find a grimace had crossed Saki's face. "Ugh, here comes Sensei. Let's try not to fall asleep."

Gina sighed, dropping her head down on her desk. "Pinch me awake if I do."

"I won't. It would be amusing to see his reaction. It'd be the only amusing thing to happen in this class."

"Gee, you're some great friend."

Saki grinned, just as their sensei took his position at the front of the classroom. "I sure am."

Fortunately, neither of them fell asleep during that lesson, even though Gina had yawned her head off during the lesson. Things got better as the day progressed, but it was still a great relief when the final bell rang, signifying the end of school.

Gina stretched out in her chair as the other students around her stood up, scraping chairs back and talking now they were finally free to go. Gina sheepishly admitted to herself that this was her favourite part of the school day - when they were able to go home.

Then again, who doesn't enjoy this part of the day over everything else?

Saki sighed dramatically as she stood up, swinging her bag over one shoulder. She cast a careless look at Gina over her shoulder. "You coming down to the bakery?"

Saki's family owned a bakery in town, and Gina loved going there. Saki's mother was one of the nicest people she'd ever met, and not to mention, the cakes and baked goods there were delicious.

Even still, Gina frowned. "You're not going to cello practice today?" Though, she guessed it was to be expected. Saki only went to about half of the meetings for the orchestra club, since she couldn't be bothered most of the time. She had better things to do, Saki often said.

Even if 'those things' included just lazing about and doing nothing. 

"Nope. I've got other things to do. I can practice easily at home, anyway." Saki shrugged. "However, you didn't answer my question: you coming to the bakery today?"

"Yeah. I always do, don't I?"

The two joined the numerous others from their class headed out of the room. They were able to squeeze through the doorway and walk out into the corridor. As they did so, they walked past a rather tall figure. 

"I can't get over how much taller Kagami-kun is compared to us," Saki whispered, eying the tall, red-haired figure of Kagami Taiga with wide eyes. For two people of relatively petite structure, Kagami's height was definitely more pronounced.

However, Gina wasn't looking at Kagami. Her eye had just caught the one person here that she knew from her middle school. She smiled in greeting at him, and he did the same.

"Huh? Gina, who are you smiling at?"

Gina blinked, and turned around to be met with the stare of her best friend. "Oh, that was Kuroko-kun. I know him."

"Huh?" Saki glanced back, and had to scan the crowd for quite a noticeable amount of time before her eyes managed to rake out Kuroko's small, blue-haired figure. "Oh, him. I forgot, you mentioned you went to the same middle school."

Gina shrugged. "Even then we didn't really know each other. We only ran into each other on a few occassions. I'm closer to you than I ever was to him."

"I see."

It was a fair walk to Saki's place, around about fifteen minutes. Even still, both of them preferred to walk rather than catch public transport. It was just more enjoyable this way.

Nonetheless, they eventually reached the bakery. Gina smiled and inhaled as they walked through the door. It always smelt so nice in there. 

"Ah, Gina!" Saki's mother looked up and smirked warmly as the dark-haired girl entered, trailing just behind Saki. "Can I get you the usual?"

Gina beamed. "Yes please, Fujioka-san!"

Her usual was a small custard scroll. Gina knew she had a weakness for pastries and baking, and this trumped the lot. Saki's mother was definitely a good baker.

Saki's family lived in the flat just above their bakery, so Gina decided to hang out there with her friend for a while. They talked and Gina pursuaded Saki to do some of their homework, so she wouldn't have to do it later on. She also did it for Saki's sake, who often got into trouble for forgetting to complete homework.

When the sky began to darken, Gina decided that it was time to leave.

"See you tomorrow, Saki!" she called, as she left the building.

Saki waved back. "Sure will, Gina!"

Gina smiled once more at her friend, then turned and walked away.

Night was falling, and the natural sunlight that had once lit the way was now replaced with artificial golden light from the numerous streetlamps. A cool wind tugged at her hair and her clothes. The wind is getting colder. Winter is definitely approaching.

Gina shrugged her bag a little higher over her shoulders and walked at a brisk pace, but her destination wasn't her home.

She only had to walk for a few minutes before she arrived at her destination. Fortunately, both her house and Saki's was nearby to the basketball courts. She looked up as she approached. The courts - and the hoops - were hardly anything like a netball court or netball hoops, but this was the closest thing to netball she would get to in Japan.

Gina walked through the small entrance and onto the concrete court. She placed her bag on the ground, bent down and opened her bag, pulling out the small basketball she always carried with her. It felt nothing like a netball, but it was the best she had. With a small sigh, she walked on to and tuned to the the basketball hoop before her.

The basketball hoop was a poor substitution for a proper netball hoop. The rim was wider, and lower. Even the ball was heavier thsn a netball. Gina sighed, bouncing the ball once before taking up a shooting position. With a bend of her knees and a flick of her wrist, she sent the ball flying through the air without much thought.

Gina's teeth gnashed together as the ball bounced off the blackboard and entered the hoop. She hated the backboards. If that were a netball hoop, that shot would have missed. Gina felt as though she was cheating a goal by having the backboard there to guide the ball back into the hoop.

If I go back to Australia, my shooting percentage is going to be awful. Getting used to a lighter ball and a high hoop once more... Gina sighed and proceeded to take another shot.

Their move back to Japan had happened two years ago. It had been a huge shock, finding out that she'd have to leave her friends and the country she knew best behind her, to head back to her home country. Gina had been born in Japan, but her family had moved to Australia because of her father's work when she was ten. Even if they'd lived there for only four years, Gina remembered Australia more vividly than she had Japan, and therefore considered it her home country over Japan.

But Gina found that what she missed most, was the opportunity to play netball.

Gina had started the sport soon after she'd arrived in Australia. Her mother had seen that she was shy and therefore wasn't socialising, and encouraged her young daughter to join a club or something along those lines so she could interact with more people. They chose to join the netball club that was near their house, for easy transport purposes.

At first, Gina had been a little bewildered by the unfamiliar sport, since it wasn't played in Japan. She hadn't heard of it until recently. That, plus the language barrier that still existed between herself and the other had provided its own complications. She understood some parts of English, but had been far from being fluent at that point.

Fortunately for her, she'd been surrounded by nice, encouraging and supportive people. The coaches helped her out the best that they could, explaining things to the best of their ability. Her teammates were kind and a nice group to be a part of.

A few months down the track, Gina found herself starting to become comfortable playing netball. She adapted quicker to the game than the coaches expected. Despite being small, Gina proved to be a rather determined player. On the court, she really came out of her shell.

Everyone expected that she'd be specialised in centre court, most likely playing Wing Attack or Centre, due to her small size. But she surprised everyone when she started to excel in shooting.

As the years went on and the young girls went from playing all positions to specialising in either shooting, midcourt or defence, Gina found herself specialising in shooting. It was unusual for someone as small and petite as her to be handed the GS and GA bib. She was stronger than she looked

People had called her a prodigy. She started trailing for district and regional levels. She was accepted to both. She could've trialled for state team soon, if she hadn't moved back to Japan.

So many opportunities... gone. And I don't think I'll ever be able to pursue those opportunities again. Even if she did move back to Australia, Gina would basically be starting from scratch again as she came back to playing netball once more. In the meantime, all the others would have improved.

To Gina, netball was more than just a sport. It was a fundamental part of her. It had been her passion. And, from the moment she'd moved back to Japan, she felt as though there was something about her that was missing.

She sighed, and got ready to take another shot at the goal.

There was a light bark behind her. It hadn't been loud, but it had come out of nowhere, effectively shocking Gina. The dark-haired girl jumped in surprise as she heard it, releasing the ball as she did so. She had no time to aim and the shot ended up falling short, bouncing off the edge of the ring.

The ball fell to the ground, bouncing once on the concrete and rolling away. Another bark. Gina looked down, and her face broke out into a soft smile as she spotted a small dog running after the ball. She walked over and crouched down next to it. The dog turned as she knelt beside him. He closed his eyes as Gina began to pet him.

"Hello, aren't you cute?" she murmured. Gina noticed the outfit worn by the dog and peered closer at it, noticing it Seirin printed on the side. "Huh? Seirin? That's my school..."

"Gina-chan!"

Gina froze upon hearing the familiar voice, belonging to a person she hadn't seen in months. They'd talked over the phone, yes, but it was nothing like seeing each other in person.

That person was the first friend she'd made in Japan, the person who had helped her out on so many occasions without asking for anything in return.

Gina turned around, spotting the familiar figure with long, pink hair running toward her. A smile spread across her lips.

"Momoi..."

--------------------------------------------------------------
so, there's the first chapter! i'm really excited for this story!

i'll try and post as many highlights from netball matches to the side of each chapter. i was actually there watching the game that is on the side! (West Coast Fever is the team I support, and Gina's character is actually inspired by their current Goal Attack, Natalie Medhurst).

sorry if this chapter dragged on a little, but i had to establish gina's past as a netballer. things pick up a little during the next chapter, i promise!