Looking for a Miracle
Chapter Nine
Phantom

I stretched out as I watched everyone on the basketball team begin their cool down procedures. Well, some were. Others were staying behind just a little bit longer to go over a new skill they'd learned at training, polish new skills of their own, or just practice a little while longer.

Of course, Sei had elected to stay behind a little longer, so I was stuck here until they finished. I checked my watch. It was already late, and I'd have no manager duties to keep me entertained. I wondered how I'd eat up time until Sei finished.

A flicker of movement by the door caught my eye. I turned, and my eyebrows furrowed to see Aomine make his way outside, a basketball still in his hands.

"Hey, Aomine!" I called.

Aomine halted in the threshold to the door. I jogged up to him and folded my arms over my chest, raising an eyebrow at him. "Sneaking out of the main gym?" I inquired in a teasing tone. "Where are you going?"

Despite being caught out, he looked completely unfazed. He flicked his thumb in the direction of something toward the left. "I'm headed to practice in the third string gym. This one's too crowded for my liking."

I looked over my shoulder and pulled a face, realising just how many people were using the gym. There wasn't much room for players to practice individual skills. You'd probably run into someone else. Aomine was actually being smart for once; from what I'd gathered, not many people stayed back late in the third string.

I twisted back around to address my friend. "You're going to play basketball?"

Aomine stared at me like I'd asked a really stupid question. Which I probably had. "Of course."

It felt like I was blushing from head to toe. I wanted to ask something... whether I had the courage to, was the question.

"Let me join you," I blurted all in one breath, before I could back out. "I haven't played in a while."

Well, that was true. I hadn't been able to get to a basketball court in a while, thanks to having to revise. And if I got to be with Aomine... well, that was a bonus.

I had expected Aomine to protest or at least be reluctant. I know, he had nagged me about wanting to play basketball during our study sessions, but I had put that down to him being bored out of his wits. So I was pleasantly surprised when he sent me his usual carefree grin. "Sure thing."

My heart soared - a mixture of both being able to play basketball and spend some time with Aomine.

"Wait, what are you two doing?" a familiar voice squeaked in a panic. "Did I just hear that you were going to the third string gym?'

Momoi was standing behind us, looking and sounding terrified for our safety.

"Momoi?" I asked hesitantly. "What's wrong?"

Momoi appeared to be quite distressed; her eyes were wide and were filled with fear. "Haven't you heard the rumours about the third string gym?" she exclaimed shakily. "There's a ghost in there!"

Aomine and I exchanged a look, then stared blankly at Momoi.

"I'm telling you, it's true!" she cried, upon seeing our doubtful faces. "After practice, you can hear the sound of basketball bouncing in the third gym when no one is there!"

"Quit joking around, Satsuki," Aomine grumbled. He began to walk off, spinning the basketball absentmindedly in his hands. I cast one look back at Momoi then jogged to keep up with Aomine. I was sure if I backed off, I wouldn't be allowed to hear the end of it.

"Wait! Akane, Dai-cha... Aomine-kun!" Momoi cried, but Aomine didn't look back.

"This is stupid," he grumbled under his breath. "Like something like that can be true!"

I frowned. "Maybe she has a point..." I didn't exactly believe in ghosts and spirits, but if even Momoi believed that... Momoi wasn't exactly the sort of person to jump to conclusions on a whim.

Aomine rolled his eyes. "Jeez, don't be silly, Akane." He grabbed my wrist and dragged me after him. I yelped and stumbled before I regained my footing. My eyes locked on the hold he had on my wrist. "There's no ghost that plays basketball," he scoffed. "Even if there was, I'll go ask it to play one on one with me."

I chuckled softly to myself. He would've said it in a completely different manner, but that would be something Sei would've told me. Don't be silly, Akane, he would've told me. Ghosts don't exist. There's no way there'll be a ghost playing basketball in the third string gym.

Oh, Sei. No matter how he said it, I would've believed him. I trusted him more than anyone.

I shook myself from my thoughts and stared at Aomine. "How would you win one-on-one against a ghost, anyway?"

He shrugged. "I'd figure something out."

I hid a giggle behind my hand. That response was so truly Aomine, I should've predicted it.

"How long have you been playing basketball?" he asked presently. He bounced the ball on the pavement as we walked.

I performed a quick calculation in my head. "A year and a half, maybe more. Ever since I first met Sei."

"So he taught you?"

"Yeah.

"Do you like him?"

I bit my lip. "What do you mean by that?"

"Like..." He trailed off. I caught where he was heading and sucked in a breath. My eyes widened, hardly able to believe what I was hearing.

"That sort of like?" I screeched. I hit him on the arm. "Ahomine! He's my best friend! That's like saying you and Momoi like each other!"

At this, Aomine froze and turned bright red. "Hey!" He protested, raising his hands. "Satsuki? Are you kidding, Akane?"

I chuckled. I'd never seen him so flustered. "So you do like her!" I sang, sending him a wicked grin. Despite my teasing, I couldn't help but feel the small drop of my heart. Stupid! I scolded myself. You suspected this from the beginning! Why'd you have to go and fall for a basketball idiot like him?

Hang on, don't jump to conclusions! He could be reacting like this out of shock of the question! Didn't I react similarly just now when he asked about Sei? Get a grip, Akane, you idiot!

Still, I remained surprised. I thought I would've felt a little more disappointed... Maybe it was because I was clinging on to the hope that he was only responding in this way because he was caught off guard. I decided not to dwell on it.

"Why would I like her?" Aomine demanded. "It's just Satsuki."

"So you say," I laughed. Even if he had only reacted out of shock, it didn't mean I couldn't tease him. "Oh, look, we're here."

The gym stood in front of us. The lights were still on inside, so there had to be someone inside. I could even hear the faint sound of basketball shoes emitting from behind the closed doors. Aomine and I walked up the steps and opened the door.

"Sup?" Aomine called, the two of us entering the gym.

Sounds of playing suddenly ceased. I frowned and scanned the gym, waiting to see someone. I had just heard basketball shoes, and no one could run out of the gym that quickly.

But, despite all my searching, I couldn't find anyone.

I froze. There really is no one here.

Suddenly my blood turned to ice, like the ghost had just slipped into my blood stream. My legs started to shake. I could feel the blood drain from my face.

Was Momoi telling the truth after all? My heart rate quickened as I stepped back toward the door, toward known safety. My eyes flicked across all corners of the gym desperately searching for some logical answer to the sounds I'd heard earlier.

I found none. I squeaked in terror, like a mouse caught in its trap. My hand shot out and grabbed Aomine's to reassure me that no, I wasn't alone, and someone very much alive was still in the room as me. From the way he gripped mine back so tightly that the blood circulation cut off, I guessed he was pretty terrified too.

Maybe the rumours are true... We should get out before the ghost makes an appearance and possesses us or something... I swallowed heavily, more than ready to turn around and bolt.

"Excuse me?" a soft voice came from behind us.

I screamed bloody murder. Somehow my legs gained power for I was off the ground and a Mike in the air, my heart hammering like a freight train in my chest. Beside me, Aomine had crouched down and was rattling off some sort of prayer.

Slowly, hardly daring to see, I turned around to see what had scared me so much.

What I saw shocked me so much I almost jumped a mile into the air again.

A boy, who was very much human, stood behind us. He held a basketball in his hand. He tilted his head to the side, strands of hair - pale blue hair - falling into his same-coloured eyes. He was around the same height as me.

"Huh?" the boy murmured. "Aomine-kun?"

***

After the initial shock, Aomine, the boy and I sat in a loose circle in the middle of the court. I leaned back on my hands, my eyes flicking between Aomine and the smaller boy - I'd discovered as we walked to this spot that he was slightly taller than I was, which irked me. Did I always have to be the smallest person around?

I studied the boy in front of us intently, a crease forming between my eyebrows. I felt a strange sense of familiarity from him, but couldn't recall where about I'd seen him before.

"Haven't we met before?" I asked. I leaned forward and peered at him closer, as though tighter scrutiny would allow me to see his soul and give me all the answers I needed.

The boy nodded. "We did. We ran into each other at a bookstore."

Suddenly it as like I was back at the bookstore; I was jumping in fright when someone unexpectedly appeared beside me, and blinking and trying to determine whether I'd imagined the shock of light blue hair. The fright I'd experienced then and upon entering the gym, plus the same coloured hair connected in my mind and I gasped, finally recognising the boy.

"Oh! I remember you!" I exclaimed. I chuckled wryly. "Jeez, you really scared me, both times we've met! I had no idea you were there!"

"It's always like that."

Aomine frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

The other boy shrugged lightly, rolling the ball in the floor between either hand. "I always scare people," he murmured. "I have a small presence, so I when approach people and they'd never realise I'm there until they looked at me directly."

I bit my lip. That's horrible! I couldn't imagine living like that, always being overlooked and left on my own, like I didn't even exist. I tried putting myself in his shoes and shuddered, unsold yo even begin thinking of how I'd cope. My heart stretched out to the boy in front of me and I wanted to grab his hand. That must be a hard way to live each day.

Aomine, however, had a completely different reaction.

"So you're telling me they you have so little presence that nobody ever notices that you're the rest? That's amazing!"

"Aomine-kun, you're laughing too much," the boy said reproachfully.

Aomine collected himself, holding back his laughter. "Sorry about that. Wait, how do you know my name?"

"You're famous for being one of the first years who made it into the first string's starting members."

"You are, by the way," I input with a wink. I had heard discussion about Aomine, Sei and the others during lunchtimes and before class. Everyone was in awe of them.

If Aomine felt any pride or satisfaction from this statement, he didn't show it, instead turning to the boy and asking, "And you?"

The boy looked a little sheepish and turned his gaze away. "I'm in the third string..."

"Wrong, I'm asking for your name. Anyways, it doesn't matter if you're in the first or third string. You love basketball so much that you stayed behind to practice every night, right? No one that loves basketball is a bad guy. That's my theory."

I snorted. "That's a brilliant ideal to live by, Aomine." I rolled my eyes despite the glare Aomine was shooting me.

Even the boy was laughing a little. "It's a strange theory," he agreed.

"What did you say?"

The boy chuckled. "I'm Kuroko Tetsuya," he introduced. "Nice to meet you."

Since I was the only one there Kuroko didn't know, I said, "And I'm Hirai Akane, but just Akane is fine." I stuck my hand out.

He returned the gesture. I was surprised that hid small hands were still able to cover mine. Jeez, just how tiny am I? "Nice to meet you, Akane-san."

I smiled. "You too, Kuroko-kun."

"Do you often practice here late?" Aomine asked Kuroko.

"Yeah. I stay behind so I can improve myself, even just a little."

Aomine looked impressed. "That's dedication. Not too many people do that, even in the first string"

I nodded, and sent an encouraging smile in the blue-haired boy's direction. "But if you keep working, you're sure to get there in the end."

Kuroko looked hopeful. "You think so?"

"I know so." I beamed at him. "A year and a half ago I didn't know how to play basketball. Now I'm decent at it." Of course, I'd had Sei's tutelage, but I could've learned to play with anyone. They just wouldn't have been as good as Sei.

"I agree. I'm sure you'll get to where you want to be eventually," Aomine said, a grin on his face. "All right, I've decided! I'll practice here with you every day from now on! And then one day, let's stand on the same court together!"

Realising that they'd probably want to practice together, I clambered to my feet and flicked my thumb over at the second court. "I'll just play over there. I don't want to get in your way."

"You sure, Akane?" Aomine asked, small concern in his voice.

I waved off the concerns. "It's fine, Aomine. I can't post much in these skirts anyway." I pursed my lips thoughtfully. "I should start bringing shorts to school..."

It was something I could do another day. With a small shrug, I ambled over to the other court and began my practices. I didn't want to do any flashy moves while I was only wearing a skirt, so reigned myself to just practicing shooting for the day. I wasn't about to complain, though. Any small amount of basketball was good enough for me. I smiled as I put up shot after shot. A few missed, but I was becoming more accurate with my shots as time went on. When the school year began I was only able to sink about half of the three pointers I shot. Now I was fairly consistent, though far from Midorima's level, or most people on Teiko's team.

"Are you sure it's alright?"

I looked back to see Aomine and Kuroko

"Stupid," Aomine said with a shake of his head. "There's no right or wrong! Didn't I tell you, you can't be a bad guy if you like basketball?"

"It's really okay if I play with you?"

"Yeah, anytime you want."

"I see." Kuroko nodded and got into position. "Please prepare yourself."

So they're going one-on-one? I stopped my practice, interested to see how this match up would unfold.

Aomine got himself into position, ready to defend. Kuroko stood ready to make a drive forward, bouncing the ball on the spot as he prepared himself. Then he darted forward, moving to Aomine's right.

For a moment, I thought he might pass Aomine. Then all movement ceased: Kuroko had lost control of the ball, and it had landed heavily on his knee. For a moment he froze, and then he dropped to the floor, clutching the injured knee. "That hurts," he muttered.

Aomine was bewildered. "What's with that?" he exclaimed. "You told me to prepare myself, so I was thinking that you'd be pretty awesome."

Kuroko frowned. "What are you saying? I'm in the third string."

"What?"

"I'm still inexperienced, so please prepare yourself, is what I meant."

Aomine stared for a moment and then laughed. "You really are unusual."

A sheepish smile crossed Kuroko's face. He raised the ball in his hands, as though he could hide his face behind it. "Should I quit after all?"

I was about to yell at him for leaving Kuroko, but Aomine turned and gestured for the blue-haired boy to throw him the ball. "Here."

At once, Kuroko's face lit up. With a bright smile, he threw the ball at Aomine, who promptly turned and scored a basket.

They continued to practice their one-on-one together. Occasionally I'd look back to see them practice together, both them them looking like they were thoroughly enjoying themselves.

I smiled. At times Aomine could appear like he didn't care, or too caught up in his basketball world to notice anything else.

But I had seen him care; he looked out for Momoi even when he pretended he didn't care, and he really was concerned about his teammates. And watching him play with Kuroko and making the blue-haired boy smile, I knew for certain that yes, Aomine did care for others.

And that just made me smile brighter. 

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LET'S JUST APPRECIATE HOW ADORABLE FIRST YEAR KUROKO IS 

also, when akane questioned aomine about momoi, that's not strictly aomomo! you can see it either as aomine being shocked akane asked him such a question and was caught completely off guard, or you can see it as aomomo. your choice! i left it open ended for that reason, depending on your ships :D
so we've finally met kuroko! he'll be showing up a lot more in the upcoming chapters! any thoughts about what will happen next? i'm interested to hear them!
and holidays just started and i spent my first night up until 12:30 writing fan fiction... sounds about right xD