In Shadows

Chapter Nine

Small Thoughts

"So you've found out who else will be competing in the league found with you?"

It was the day after the Josei match. Gina leaned against Kuroko's desk, looking between both him and Kagami. Class was about to start any moment, but she wanted to catch up with them first.

"Yes. The four teams in the league are Shutoku, Shenshikan, and Kirisaki Dai Ichi."

Gina frowned. Shutoku she knew, yes: Midorima had gone there. But she hadn't heard of the other two schools. "I haven't heard of those other two. Have you?"

"Shenshikan is one of the three Kings of the West in the Tokyo district, along with Shutoku and Seiho," Kuroko explained. "They're a good team, we've lost to them twice. We haven't heard of Kirisaki Dai Ichi before."

Gina frowned. "You'd think if they were a King, then Seiho would be competing," she mused.

"We beat them in the semi-finals of the preliminaries," Kuroko said. "Only the top eight schools from the Inter-High got to compete for a chance for the Winter Cup, so they were excluded."

"I see." Gina nodded slowly. "I'll try and get down to support you today, but I've got training. And I don't think I can skip today. I'm sure Aoi is sore with me for missing yesterday."

"Don't worry, Gina," Kuroko said. "Your club is more important than coming to cheer us on."

"You sure?"

"We're sure," Kagami said. "You'll show them." Kuroko nodded in agreement.

Gina flushed. "Thanks, you guys." She looked back at the door as it opened, and squeaked when she saw their teacher walk into the room. "Ah! Sensei's here!"

Sure enough, their maths teacher walked into the room. He narrowed his eyes at Gina who flushed and, with a muffled squeak, made a dash for her seat. She caught a look from Saki as she passed; her friend just rolled her eyes and proceeded to slump forward over her desk.

Right. It was now maths, Saki's least favourite subject. Gina chuckled to herself and risked a quick glance at her friend. Saki looked as though she was had already zoned out of the lesson.

The rest of the day was alright. Once maths passed, they only had the subjects that Gina liked. Things were going rather well for her.

Until it came to club activities.

Gina wished Kuroko and Kagami good luck before she made her way to the track team. She glanced at them over her shoulder, a wistful expression on her face. She wished she was going with them, rather than headed for the track team. She felt as though she didn't belong there.

After she entered the changing rooms and changed, Gina walked outside to start training. The sun was out that day, and surprisingly warm for winter.

As per usual, Gina found herself lagging behind the others. It was more than frustrating. She'd regained some of the muscle she'd lost after two years of absence from sports, but she still was as thin as a twig in comparison to the others. They were taller and fitter than her, as well.

By the end of the day, Gina had had enough. She changed as quickly as she could before she stalked out the change rooms, just wanting to get away.

"Gina. Can I have a word?" a voice called as she exited the change rooms.

Gina turned, and felt sick in her stomach as she recognised the voice. There would only be one reason this person would come and talk to her. Turning fully around, she spotted the blonde head of her senior standing near the door. "Aoi-senpai," she muttered.

The blonde crossed her arms over her chest. "Let me put it bluntly: you're just not cut out for this team," she said, cutting right to the chase.

Gina had been expecting it, but the words were still a blow. She felt as though something had

"I'll admit, your starts are good, but afterwards it all falls apart for you." Aoi huffed. "I've given you a few weeks and watched you, giving you time to show improvement. But you're not. You can barely keep up with the training regimen as it is."

"You're saying I should quit?"

"We're a highly competitive club and have managed to scrape together many talented athletes. I'm sorry to say this, but I don't think you'll ever be able to participate in a tournament."

The words really hit home. Never... that was an awfully long time. To think that she probably didn't have the skill to ever allow her to race in a tournament... Gina pinched her arm. There wasn't much muscle there. Those two years off sports had really downgraded her physical strength. Gina looked at Aoi's own well-toned body, probably a cause of years and years of continuous practice and training. She certainly hadn't spent two years doing nothing.

Two years worth of catching up with everyone... it had seemed like such a hard, impossible task from the start.

Gina lowered her head. "I see. I'll think about it," she murmured.

She checked her watch. If she left now, she might be able to catch the end of the basketball game. Smiling at the prospect of seeing Kuroko and Kagami again, and hoping that seeing her friends might take her mind off things, she made a dash for the door and ran for the nearest bus station.

She was fortunate; she arrived just as a bus pulled up. She claimed a spot by the window and leaned her head against it. She could feel it vibrate as the bus door closed and it started to drive off.

Fortunately, the venue wasn't too far away from the school, so she wasn't kept waiting for too long. Gina rushed out of the doors of the bus and hurried inside, hoping she could at least catch the last five minutes or  at least something.

People were wandering out of the stadium when Gina arrived, some just standing around and talking about the two matches that had just taken place. She sighed and cursed lightly under her breath. Damn. I missed it.

She looked around, trying to spot her friends. Before long, she spotted the team walk out of a hallway. Her eyes lighting up, Gina raised her hand in greeting and waved to them.

"Guys! How'd you go?" she called, looking specifically at Kuroko and Kagami as she spoke.

Kagami grinned her way. "We won!"

"Ah, that's great!" Gina grinned and, out of excitement, launched herself at Kuroko. He was the person on the team closest to her height. He hesitated for a moment, and then wrapped his arms around her as well.

Gina brushed off the stares as she pulled away, and adjusted her glasses. She looked around the team, frowning as she noticed that there was one person absent. "Where's Kiyoshi-senpai?"

At this, Gina was shocked to find a few people frowning. Did something happen?

"He told us to go on ahead," Kuroko told her. Gina felt a little relieved. So he didn't injure himself in the match, or something like that.

"Did Kiyoshi-senpai forget something?" one of her fellow first years, Furihata, asked.

Hyuga nodded. "Yeah, something like that."

"Is it about that guy in the corner?"

Kagami spoke up, and approached the team's captain.

Hyuga sighed. "You noticed?"

"Just that he's pretty good."

Gina's brows furrowed. What are they talking about?

Hyuga sighed. "Well, it's nothing to hide. In the world of middle school basketball, Teiko's Generation of Miracles were the best. Needless to say, they're the five prodigies whose stunning power lead to three national championships." He paused. "However, there were others a year older. Five talented players capable of going head-to-head with the Generation of Miracles. If they had been born in another era, they may have been called the Generation of Miracles.

I remember. Momoi told me about them yesterday. Again, Gina couldn't help but think how frustrating it must be to be a talented basketball player, but hidden in the shadows of five outstanding prodigies. She didn't have to face a team like the Generation of Miracles while she played netball, but there were many players she'd come across that were highly talented. There were several players

"Including Kiyoshi, the five of them are known as the Uncrowned Kings," Hyuga continued. "That other guy was one of them. The Bad Boy, Hanamiya Makoto."

Gina wrinkled her nose. He doesn't sound like a very pleasant person.

"If he stayed behind to greet him, they must be friends, right?" Furihata piped.

Hyuga just shook his head. "It's just the opposite. You could say he's the antithesis of Kiyoshi. If Kiyoshi is the most honest basketball player, then he's the most dishonest."

Definitely not the nicest of people, if that's how Hyuga describes him.

Just as she thought this, she caught someone coming out of the hallway. Gina looked up and smiled, seeing that it was indeed Kiyoshi.

"Kiyoshi-senpai!" Gina called, as he emerged from the hall.

He looked up, his movements so sharp suggesting she had startled him. "Ah, Gina," he said, smiling. It's not quite reaching his eyes, though. "How are you?"

"I'm good." She grinned at him, though worry twinged within her. He's not acting like his usual self. Something must have happened. "I heard you won. That's great!" she enthused, trying to cover up her worry.

"Thanks."

"Kiyoshi. You ready to go?" Hyuga called.

Kiyoshi nodded, and soon the team was on their way again. Gina fell into step beside Kuroko.

"Kiyoshi-senpai isn't acting like himself," she muttered to him as they walked off. "Do you think something happened when he talked to that other guy - Hanamiya?"

Kuroko nodded. "Most likely."

Gina looked down, a little deflated as her fear was confirmed. She bit her lip, wondering what had happened to make Kiyoshi suddenly change.

Who was Hanamiya Makoto? Had the two interacted in the past?

"Don't worry about it, Gina. When we play Kirisaki Dai Ichi, we'll beat them for sure."

She smiled softly. "I know you will."

They waked in silence together for a little while longer. Gina couldn't help but notice but Kuroko occasionally looked across at her. She flushed and pretended not to notice.

"Talking about not acting as yourself..." Kuroko spoke up. He narrowed his eyes at her a little. "You're not exactly yourself either, Gina?"

Gina closed her eyes and ran a hand through her hair. I guess it's pointless trying to hide anything from Kuroko. We know each other too well. "You caught on, huh?" she murmured. A sigh passed her lips before she said, "Aoi told me that maybe the track team isn't for me. And now I don't know what I should do: should I stay and hope for some miraculous improvement, or leave and be at a loss for what to do again?"

Kuroko frowned. "Do you enjoy it?"

Gina briefly mulled the thought over in her head. "No. I don't, not really," she admitted. "I hate the way I feel separate from everyone else, and how we're all individuals competing against each other. I think I'm more about team sports... where you can encourage each other, support and be supported, and have a good time." She sighed. "I don't think any individual sport is for me, to be honest."

"Is there a team sport here that interests you?"

"Not really. And besides, I'm not cut out for half of them. Volleyball? I'm tiny. Baseball?" She laughed humourlessly. "I almost knocked myself unconscious with the bat once, I don't think it's a very good idea." Gina placed her hands in her pockets and looked up at the sky. "I'll keep going to practice for now, until I can find an answer as to what I should do. Don't worry, Kuroko. I'll be fine." She looked over at him. "Say, who's your next march against? Kirisaki Dai Ichi or Shutoku?"

"Shutoku," he answered.

"And Midorima..." A smile spread across her face. This is going to be good. "No matter what happens tomorrow, I'm coming to watch," she declared.

"That's a match I can't miss."