Looking for a Miracle

Chapter One

Teiko

- five months later -

The school was huge.

That was the first thing I noticed when I clambered out of the car. I gaped, taking in the sheer size of the complex. I was aware of Sei talking to the driver beside me, but my attention was fixated on the buildings before me.

The sign in front of me clearly labelled the school as Teiko Middle School, where I would be attending for the next three years. I had expecting the school to be big, but I hadn't expected it to be this big. I was sure I would get lost within the first five minutes of wandering the school grounds.

My heart skipped a beat, and I felt momentarily sick. This would be my first time attending a school. The thought of mixing with other kids and being in crowded hallways... I gulped. I was used to being in solitude, not surrounded by hundreds of people. Still, I kept up a neutral face. I didn't want to attract any more attention to myself than was necessary. 

That would be hard to do. I was the daughter of a rich businessman. The company was known to everyone around these parts, as well as my last name. Hirai. I wanted to detach myself from the name; I didn't want to gain attention just because I was some guy's daughter.

But my parents had told me I was being silly, and that is be fine. Still, I didn't want to be the centre of attention. I'd prefer to stay out of the spotlight for the most part, and remain in the background, away from the prestige that came with my name.

That was one of the goals I had set myself before I arrived here. I'd made them last night, while I had been up late and in bed, unable to sleep due to nerves. I'd stay out of the spotlight and go about things my own way. I'd work hard and get good results I was happy pleased with. And then I'd make mum and dad proud. They'd done so much for me, and though I didn't agree with them about some things, I wanted to show them I was grateful. I hoped to reflect that in my schoolwork.

I ran those goals through my head, repeating the same words over and over. The repetition helped me calm down slightly. Only slightly.

Sei glanced over at me. "You're nervous," he noted instantly.

I sighed. He said it as though he knew exactly what I was feeling, what I was thinking; he was just so observant. It was like I was an open book for him to read. I couldn't keep anything from Sei, no matter how I tried to hide it. No mask I wore could fool him.

I ran my fingers through my hair. It was a nervous habit of mine. "I've only ever been homeschooled until now," I muttered. "I'm not used to these sorts of crowds. It's a little nerve-wracking."

"You'll be fine, Akane," he said, not unkindly. "You'll get used to it. Let's go."

Yeah, we'd started to call each other by our first names. We saw each other so often that we'd become familiar with each other and forged a close bond. We had started to call each other by our first names without honorifics. I went on to shorten his name, but he'd been unable to do the same for me. Akane wasn't exactly the sort of name that could be shortened.

I'd been apprehensive about calling each other by our first names at school; people could instantly think that meant we liked each other. But it wasn't that way. Sei and I were just close; we were from similar backgrounds and therefore understood each other well. We'd been able to tell each other things about our lives that others wouldn't have understood, which had caused trust to build between us. There was nothing remotely romantic about our relationship, and I didn't want anyone interpreting it that way.

But he'd told me not to do that. "We're friends," he'd said. "It's natural for friends to call each other by our given names. We're friends, are we not?"

He was right. I was just being overly anxious, as per usual.

Then again, maybe I wasn't. When we walked through the school gates, we were instantly surrounded by people and caught in the midst of white and pale blue - the Teiko school colours. My eyes flicked around nervously as we walked along the brick path toward the school. Cherry blossoms dotted the grounds around us, but the beautiful scenery wasn't what I was taking in.

No, my attention was grabbed by the numerous stands set on the sides of the path. Second and third year students stood beside them and milled around, yelling about their clubs and trying to hand out fliers. I was almost stopped on two occasions by two different clubs; the literature club and the art club. Instinctively, I inched a little closer to Sei. He was the only one here I knew, and he could handle this situation so easily. He knew what to do.

"You're joining a club?" I asked, scanning the numerous clubs being advertised and thrust in our faces.

"The basketball team, of course."

I shouldn't have had to ask. I knew how much Sei loved basketball; it was all we did when we hung out together. Sei told me he didn't often have time for breaks with the strict instruction his father put him under. When I came along, it was the perfect opportunity to play, since it would've been considered rude to ignore a guest.

Then, Sei completely caught me off guard when he asked, "Will you sign up as manager?"

Where had that come from? I blinked, momentarily stunned. I soon recovered though, and sighed. "My parents want me to do orchestra," I mumbled. I'd recently started cello, and to accommodate that my parents wanted me to join Teiko's orchestra. I'd heard that it was a highly successful orchestra that had won numerous competitions, but that still didn't get me interested in it. 

The thing was, I didn't want to join the orchestra. I only played an instrument because my parents wanted me to. My true passion lay somewhere else, and had ever since Sei taught it to me months ago. It was something my parents didn't even know about. "I want to join the girl's basketball team, though..."

"You shouldn't," Sei said.

I bristled. My arms folded over my chest and I glared at my red-haired friend. "Why not?" I demanded heatedly. Did he not think I was good enough to join the club?

"Your parents won't be happy if you did," Sei reminded me gently. "They don't want you playing highly physical sports too often, remember?"  

"But..." I broke off mid-sentence and pinched the bridge of my nose. I groaned softly. He had a point. Mum and Dad didn't want me getting into any 'rough' sports, and basketball definitely came under that category. If I joined the basketball team, I'd be met everyday with the disapproving gaze of my parents. I didn't think I'd be able to handle that. 

"You're right," I mumbled, my shoulders sagging. 

My disappointment must've been obvious, for Sei placed a hand on my shoulder. "Become a manager," he said. "You'll still be around basketball, and we'll see each other more often."

It didn't seem to bad an idea, when put that way. I chewed on the inside of my cheek and mulled the thought over. "I suppose," I mused. My parents couldn't complain, right? It wasn't the orchestra, but I wasn't participating in the sport. "Okay. I'll do it."

Sei smiled. "Good. The stand is over there, I believe." 

It was easy enough to find the stand promoting the basketball club; a large sign hung by the stand, and people were calling for new members to the club. Sei and I approached and quickly signed up. The girl handling sign ups for managers smiled when I put my name down. "Report to Gym One after school," she said. "You'll be told what to do there."  

I nodded. "Understood."

I spun around, looking to find Sei. I must've gone too quickly, for I felt myself lose my balance. I yelped and toppled over, hitting into someone else as I did so. The person cried out and we both fell to the ground.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there!" I squeaked. I scrambled to my feet and offered a hand to the person I'd knocked into - a girl with long pink hair.

Even though I'd just caused her to fall to the ground, the girl didn't even look irritated. She laughed, grinned at me, and took my hand. I hauled her off the ground. "That's okay," she said cheerily. She brushed herself down and tucked a few strands of pink hair that had escaped her ponytail behind her ear. "Are you all right?"

"Oh, you shouldn't be asking me that!" I exclaimed. "How about you?"

"More than fine. Oh, are those yours?"

She crouched down and picked a few papers off the floor, then showed them to me. My eyes widened. Those were my papers. I must've dropped them when I fell down. I quickly confirmed it.

The girl flicked the papers around. Her eyes widened when she read the print. "Are you signing up to be a manager for the boy's basketball team?"

"Yeah."

"Same here!" she exclaimed. She jumped slightly on the spot and beamed at me. "My friend Dai-ch - uh, Aomine-kun, is joining, so I'm following him as manager! Oh, sorry, I haven't introduced myself! I'm Momoi Satsuki."

I smiled shyly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Momoi-san. I'm Hirai Akane. But please, call me Akane."

"Understood, Akane-san!" Momoi glanced about and groaned. "Ah, I lost Aomine-kun... I'm sorry, I need to go!"

Now that she mentions it... I performed a quick scan of the crowd, and my heart sank when I couldn't find Sei anywhere. "I've lost my friend too..." Oh, great. How long would it take me to find him in this crowd? I'll see you after school then, if we're not in the same class?"

"Got it." Momoi sent me one last grin then disappeared back into the crowd.

"Sei! There you are."

"I thought I'd lost you, Akane."

"It'd take more than a crowd to lose me." My eyes scanned the area. I knew that, to find out our classes, we would have to check out the class lists. Problem was, I didn't know where abouts that was. "Where are the class lists?"

"I found them already. We're in the same class."

I gasped. "We are?" It took all I had to not jump on the spot and burst into celebration. A wide grin spread across my face. Sei was in my class. I wouldn't be alone, and I wouldn't awkwardly wander into the class not knowing anyone. I thanked whoever was listening for my good fortune.

Sei smiled, having some idea of the thoughts circling through my head. "Come on. If we leave for class now, we'll be able to get good seats."

* * *

Surprisingly, my first day at Teiko Middle School wasn't too bad.

Sei and I were able to get relatively good seats. They were around the middle row, but I got to have a window seat. Sei took the table next to mine, and were were able to talk while everyone filed in around us.

Classes weren't too bad, either. Our teachers seemed nice enough, and the subjects weren't too hard. I'd covered similar thing while being homeschooled. Hopefully that meant this year, at least, wouldn't be too stressful for me.

When school finished, Sei and I headed down to the gym, though we had to separate so he could go to the trials. I wished him good luck and headed for the first gym, while he went to the third.

Momoi was already waiting, as was another girl in our year and a third-year. She must have been a manager too, and would teach us the ropes. One more joined us. I assumed we were the only ones who had signed on to be managers, for the older girl started when the fourth arrived.

The meeting didn't go on for too long. Our manager duties were explained to us by one of the older ones there. We'd have to oversee practices, assist the coaches, accompany the team to some matches and, and sometimes go out and collect data about the opposing team.

Momoi and I had stayed behind a little to become acquainted. There were other first-year students who'd signed up as managers, but Momoi was the most approachable out of all of them. We talked merrily - she told me about her friend, Aomine Daiki, who was also joining the basketball club, and I told her about Sei in turn. We discussed a few other things, and I soon found myself slipping into a comfortable friendship with her.

Momoi also mentioned how no first-year had ever made it to the first string of the basketball club in the first trials. I'd blanched at this. I'd heard Teiko had a very strong basketball team, but to think that no one had ever made it to the first string on their first trial? That was

Still, I couldn't imagine Sei not being among the best. That was just how he was. He always achieved perfection, thanks to the strict upbringing forced upon him by his father.

I had wanted to wait up for Sei, but my parents arrived to pick me up earlier. Apparently they'd heard that the trials were going to go on for a while, so it would be more prudent for them to pick me up instead of keeping me waiting for Sei to finish.

I was disappointed that I'd miss seeing him until tomorrow, but my parents revealed they had yet another busine. They went to so many meetings, I was surprised they still had things to discuss. Still, I wasn't complaining. I grinned at the prospect of seeing Sei again, and the next hour and a half dragged by as I impatiently waited to head out to the Akashi mansion again. I was able to somewhat make time pass a little quicker by reading, though on the inside I was just burning with curiosity about how Sei had done during the trials.

I bounced the ball once then got into shooting position. "How did trials go, Sei?"

"I made it to first string."

I froze mid-shot. The ball slipped from my fingers and bounced off the edge of the ring, hurtling straight back in my direction.  I let out a strangled cry and stumbled back, narrowly missing being hit in the face. The ball rolled harmlessly down the rest of the path.

Once I recovered, I wheeled around to face Sei. "You did?" I squeaked. "But Momoi-san told me no one made it to first string on their first trial!"

He arched one eyebrow. "Are you really surprised?"

"I guess not." I walked over to grab the basketball. "I suppose you were the only one to make it, then?'

"No, three others made it to first string."

I froze. "You're joking."

"Do you think I would?"

"It isn't like you," I sighed. I picked up the ball. " What are their names?"

"Aomine Daiki, Midorima Shintaro, and Murasakibara Atsushi."

So Momoi's friend made it too? She had mentioned how much Aomine had loved basketball, and that he was pretty talented at it. I whistle lowly. "Wow."

Another name struck a dull chord in my brain. I thought back and found I was able to put a face to a name. "Midorima-kun is in our class, isn't he?" It was hard to forget him, with his green hair, glasses, and the telephone book he'd carried that day. He'd claimed it was his lucky item for the day and had kept it near at all times. He was an avid horoscope follower, no doubt.

Sei nodded. "He is. How does the manager position look to you?"

"Good so far. I've already made the acquaintance of Momoi Satsuki, she seems nice. I'll be fine." I bounced the ball once then got into shooting position, and quickly shot at the goal. The ball sank through, nothing but net. I grinned. It wasn't often I was able to make three-pointers. I still lacked the fine, delicate technique needed to score them consistently.

"Good shot," Sei said. He picked the ball up and passed it back to me.

I almost fumbled the ball. I could feel the blood rush up to colour my cheeks crimson. It wasn't often Sei complimented me on my basketball skills. 

"Thanks," I murmured. I bounced the ball absently. My thoughts drifted back to earlier today, when  I'd joined the basketball club. I bit my lip. "I hope my parents won't mind that I didn't join the orchestra."

"They won't mind. Don't worry too much about it."

Just then, one of the staff hurried forward to us. "Akane-san, your parents are ready to leave," she called. 

I sighed, and let the ball slip from my hands. "Time to go." I bit my lip and looked anxiously back at Sei. "He... He's not making you do too much after I'm gone, right?"

Sei looked away. "Violin. Study. Piano. Probably something else as well."

I lowered my head. "I'm sorry."

I hated hearing that. Every day, Sei's father made him undergo strict training in all areas. Everything he was given he had to master and perfect. Whenever he perfected something, he was given something else to master. When his mother was still alive, Sei said it had been easier. When she'd died, things had only become more difficult. He didn't say it out loud, but I knew he had been growing more and more unhappy.

I hated it. It was more stress than anyone should be subject to. I'd imagine grown adults would struggle with the load Sei had to go through. And Sei was somehow managing to get through it, even though he was only thirteen. I think I'd crack under the strain to always be perfect.

"It's not your fault," Sei told me, narrowing his eyes. He didn't like it whenever I felt guilty for his homelife. I just couldn't help it. I felt so helpless, knowing that the only way I could help him was to just be there, and talk, and relieve him of the stress temporarily whenever I visited.

"He makes you do too much," I muttered, kicking at the ground.

"I'm used to it," he said, waving it off as though it was nothing. "I'll see you tomorrow, Akane." 

I smiled. "You too, Sei."

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here's the first chapter! what do you think? so akane has met momoi... don't worry, she'll be meeting the rest of the generation of miracles in the next chapter! how do you think that will go down? things will get interesting soon, i have a lot planned!!

also, i hope i'm writing akashi to your liking... *sweats nervously* i find him a very difficult character to write...

gif is how i picture akane :)

i'll try and have the next chapter up soon! please leave your thoughts in the comments, i really do love hearing them!