DISCLAIMER: Much as I want to, I do not own KNB.

"Interested in Rugby?"

"Have you ever played Shoji?"

"You gotta play baseball if you're Japanese!"

"Swimming! It feels great!"

Haru walked slowly through the cool outdoors, wishing that she could be home already. Her mother had insisted that she go to the school festival and join at least one club at her new school. So here she was, crowded by people, barely moving at all, and getting shoved one way or another.

"Are you a freshman?" A girl asked, smiling as she handed Haruka a form for the photography club when she finally got untangled from the rest of the crowd.

Haru nodded, habitually pulling the hat down a little further on her head— a sign of nervousness all the way from her middle school days. She hated that she always had to go to such great lengths to keep from being recognized, but it couldn't be helped. Sometimes though, she hated the fact that her mom wouldn't let her cut her long red hair. Making sure none of her long locks slipped out of her hat was a pain, but it was better than being recognized.

She didn't want to be singled out so quickly on her first day of school. Being the daughter of two famous parents, not to mention being a good musician herself was a blessing and a curse—one that she wouldn't wish on anyone.

"Well, I'll see you at the first meeting if you decide to join," the girl said, smiling at Haru in a way that reminded the redhead strangely of Momoi.

Haru flinched as her thoughts were suddenly crowded with memories of the pink haired girl.

Haru watched dully as the phone started buzzing again, and her mother seemed to have finally had it. It had been buzzing almost nonstop for the past hour, and Haru knew who it would be. But she didn't feel like talking to anyone right now, especially about what had happened.

"Haruka, you need to pick up the phone." Her gaze went to her mother dully, and for once, her mother's words were not cross—they were worried. Haru's shoulders slumped as the phone stopped buzzing. There was a minute of silence in the room in which Haru simply stared at the phone. Then it started buzzing again.

Seeing in her eyes that Haru wasn't going to pick up the phone of her own free will, Kameko touched the screen and handed the phone to Haru, a warning look in her eyes. Haru sighed and took the phone from her mother's hand.

"Haru-Chan?" Momoi's familiar voice was colored with worry, but her voice made Haruka relax for a second all the same; before she remembered that she was in a hospital because her dad had been injured -and injured badly. "What happened? Is your otousan ok? Why didn't you pick up the phone?"

Her breath caught in her throat. No, her chichi was most definitely not ok. "Momo," she choked out, not having used her voice over the course of the whole day. Tears that she had been holding back pricked her eyes. "Momo, he might never be able to play again." Momoi sat in shocked silence as she continued. "His ribs were crushed when the other guy landed on him, and some muscles in his knees were torn and strained. It'll take him a few years at least to recover, and then there's going to be a lot of surgery and rehabilitation and rest," she whispered. Saying it made it seem more like reality, and the tears started to fall. This is why she had put off the call—she knew that this was going to happen. But avoiding something only delayed the inevitable.

Momoi's horrified silence on the other end of the phone was more than enough to tell Haru how her friend felt for her. "Are you ok Haru-chan?" Momoi asked softly.

Haru honestly had to think for a moment before she knew the answer to her friend's question. Her muddled brain didn't help her thinking process much. "No," she said decidedly. "No, I'm not okay." Her hands moved to wipe away her tears. They sat in silence for a while, Haru just enjoying the company she had with her best friend, even if it was only over the phone.

She had seemed to calm down just a little bit, and when she did, her brain became clearer.

"Hey. . . Momo, can you not tell the guys about this?" Haru whispered. There was a startled silence before the words really sank in.

"Wha—Haru-chan, you can't think something this big could happen without telling the guys—"

"They'd just get all worried and stuff. It's the middle of the season for them too. I'll tell them when I get back." Momoi sat in quiet for a moment, sadness seeming to take her over. Her friend seemed so out of it. They were Haru's friends, and she wanted Momoi to keep something this big from them? Momoi wanted to cry at how selfless Haru was. She was willing to endure this all on her own just so that the guys wouldn't be distracted from basketball.

"I've got to go, Momo. Tell the guys I'll be back soon." There was a click, and then a beeping tone.

Haru snapped the phone shut and handed it to her mom silently.

As she settled down to wait again, tears slipped down her face one by one.

Haru shook her head sharply, before nodding at the girl and wading back into the crowd, now welcoming the slow traffic. She'd come to Seirin because she wanted to be normal again, like she'd been in America. That was one of the reasons, but her heart ached as she thought of her actual reason.

'Are you sure you don't want to go to one of the bigger schools? I'm sure you're friends went there.' Haru looked sharply at her mother before away again.

'No. I don't think they want to see me anyways.'

Haru blinked, feeling a sudden stab of loneliness at the thought of her old friends. It would've been nice to play basketball with them one more time. . .

"Hey, the Basketball club needs some serious help!"

Haru jolted at the words, eyes searching quickly to see where it had come from. Three second years were holding out fliers to passing students. One caught her staring, and, smile spreading, held out a flier to her eagerly. "Hey, you want to join the basketball team? We could use someone tall like you!"

Haru looked quickly away from the cat-faced teen, her annoyance drowning out the laugh that was bubbling up at his cat-like face. "I'm not that tall. And I don't play basketball anymore."

He blinked, clearly confused. "What do you mean, 'anymore'?" He asked innocently, and her temper flared. He flinched almost comically when she glared at him.

"It's none of your business," she snapped, quickly turning to stalk away, only to run into a giant wall. "Oof!" she gasped as she fell backwards, her hands breaking her fall.

"Baka! Look where you're going!" The giant she had thought was a wall snapped, seeming distracted as he glared down at her. His eyes widened, and she wondered why for a second before feeling her hair tickle her outstretched hands. Her eyes widened as she realized her mistake- Her face and hair was uncovered! Haru's eyes quickly scanned the ground for the fedora, hoping to cover up her face before she was seen. Too late.

The fall had drawn the attention of clubs all around them, and with an uncovered face, Haru was quickly discovered.

"Wait, aren't you Miyagi Haruka, that musician? Daughter of Miyagi Kameko?" Someone asked, their voice loud enough that the other half of the students turned towards them.

"Oh no," Haru thought, her heart dropping in her chest. "Here we go again."

Kuroko had only left the booth for a minute to refill his water bottle, but when he returned the stand was surrounded by excited students.

"Is it really her? The famous teenage pianist?"

"I've never heard her sing, but I've heard she's really good."

"And her mom is that famous musician . . . wow she must be awesome."

"I wonder where they've been these past few years."

"Yeah, wasn't her dad that basketball player?"

Kuroko froze. Could it really be . . .?

He edged past the crowd with a newfound determination until he found a place where he could see clearly past the mob.

She was standing there, looking almost exactly like she had at Teiko. Kuroko simply stared for a minute, trying to process that she was here, in Japan, after all these years. After leaving them without so much as a goodbye, she was here, at Seirin, right in front of him. He wanted to reach out and grab her, ask her why she had left them in the first place, and he would have done it except . . .

Then he started to notice the differences. She was wearing the jacket that was clearly part of the boy uniform, but that was standard for Haru even at Teiko. Her hair had grown even longer in her absence, but that wasn't what bothered him. She had always worn her hair up at Teiko. Maybe it was just her tomboyish nature, but long hair had always bothered her. She had always complained about its length—so why was she wearing her hair down now?

He jolted out of his thoughts when he saw her bend down for a moment, grabbing a black hat from the ground before brushing it off, albeit a bit roughly. She shifted from foot to foot uncertainly as the crowd pushed around her, and Kuroko remembered the anxious habit from Teiko. He frowned again. This was certainly Haru, but what had happened to make her change so much . . .?

She turned sharply to face a tall redhead. The crowd froze a minute under what Kuroko could only assume to be her icy glare. "You could at least apologize for nearly running me over." The rest of the crowd shivered at her words, but the redhead didn't seem fazed in the slightest.

"It's not my fault you're so short. I didn't even see you there." Kuroko sighed quietly at the guy's bluntness. Smiling slightly, he was reminded oddly of Aomine's and Haru's daily banter.

Haru huffed audibly, putting her hands on her hips. "175 is perfectly average!"

"175? Oh, sorry. I guess 175 is pretty tall for a girl," The redhead said, putting emphasis on the word as he leaned over to get in her face.

"Now you've said it," Kuroko muttered.

The ensuing banter was unintelligible and heated, including the guy putting a fist to Haru's head, and Haru giving him a leg to the groin. A brave soul intervened nervously to stop them from further bloodshed—"Ahhh, Miyagi-senpai . . ." She turned to look at the second year in surprise, her fist poised right in front of her opponent's face, who was now looking nervous at having provoked the girl.

"H-Hai?" She said, looking confused at the honorary tone. She was a year younger than him, so why was he calling her Senpai?

"A-Ano!" He said, bowing low to her, ignoring her look of surprise. "I just wanted to say it's an honor to meet you in person!" Haru blinked in shock, before scratching the back of her head awkwardly. (the redheaded guy took a couple steps back, sighing slightly in relief at having escaped her notice)

"Uhh, thanks . . . I guess," she said, avoiding looking at the still-bowing boy.

"So it is true?" the muttering started again.
"It really is Miyagi-senpai! Didn't she go to Teiko in middle school?"

"I heard she did, but disappeared halfway through her second year."

"Really? Where did she go?" Kuroko's face darkened gradually as their gossip started turning towards a darker place, and was ready to reveal his presence before Haru clapped her hands.

He looked up to see her eyes flashing, everyone's eyes on her. He blinked a couple times while she gathered her stuff, looking around to the large group around her. Some people avoided her icy gaze, some staring in wonder, some looking with obvious disdain. She ignored all of these, rather, looking more serious than he had ever seen her about something besides basketball.

"Listen. I transferred to Seirin because I want to be judged on my own merits. I want people to treat me like everyone else, so please avoid spreading gossip about my private life," she said determinedly, making eye contact with as many people as she could. Her eyes skimmed over Kuroko, who looked on in shock. "Now please . . . Excuse me." She shoved her hat back on her head and spedwalked through the crowd, who quickly made way for her to get through. Her walk quickly turned into a run straight to the new school building, red hair flying behind her like a banner.

Without thinking, Kuroko quickly followed, ignoring the whispers that spurted from the crowd. He needed some answers—What had happened back at Teiko? Why was she here at Seirin, of all places? Why did she never come back to the basketball team? Why was she running? What had happened all those years ago? As far as Kuroko knew, she'd been pretty good at being kind and courteous to her "fans". What had happened to change that?

He weaved quickly through the crowds, for once glad of his lack of presence. Panting slightly, he looked around, trying to spot the familiar red hair. Leaning against the wall, he rested for a second, wondering how on earth she managed to run so fast so far. Wiping his head, his eyes combed the crowd once again.

A familiar hat caught his eye, and he quickly looked to follow the movement. It was her, no doubt about it. Her hair was stuffed back into the fedora, her bangs flowing back and forth past her eyes. Quickly getting up to follow, he saw her enter the building, walking down the long hallways, footsteps clacking against the linoleum.

Leaning against the water fountain, she panted slightly for a moment before taking a long drag of the pure water. Kuroko waited, watching with narrowed eyes as she slid down the wall, obviously drained.

"Where have you been Haru-chan?" He asked casually when she had caught her breath a little bit.

He should've thought through his approach some more. It was obvious that she hadn't thought anyone was following her, and she'd always been pretty jumpy to begin with. So of course, she screamed and jumped, looking around widely for the source of the voice before focusing quickly on Kuroko, at which point her eyes widened again in shock, before sighing loudly, looking put out.

"Kuro-Kun!" She said, placing a hand over her heart and leaning her head back against the wall again. "You nearly gave me a heart attack! I told you to stop sneaking up on me! You know how jumpy I am. . ." Her eyes widened as she registered who exactly had followed her, and her eye snapped back to his. "Wait— What are you doing here?"

Kuroko smiled at her use of her old nickname for him and her antics, his heart aching slightly. She really hadn't changed that much after all. How long had it been since he had heard that nickname? "Sorry for scaring you. I go to school here too, Haru-chan. I saw you out there, and recognized you."

Haruka blinked with her one visible blue eye, still seeming rather surprised at his sudden appearance. "I thought you'd go to one of the big schools like the others," she managed to say, trying to get over the shock of seeing her childhood friend here, of all places. (not to mention getting her heart back to a regular rhythm)

Kuroko hesitated, looking down at his shoes. He'd left not long after she had, having enough of the principles they'd set in her absence. Something had been lost when she'd left the team. He could clearly remember Akashi telling them that day . . .

"Our former assistant manager Miyagi Haruka will not be returning to Teiko. She has transferred schools, and has already turned in her resignation." Akashi said rather formally. Stunned silence met his words.

"What do you mean, she 'won't be returning'?!" Aomine boomed after a moment of silence, obviously not taking the news well at all.

"Just what I said," Akashi said, hetochromatic eyes glaring at the Ace of the Generation of Miracles, but something else lingered besides the coldness. Hurt. It stunned Daiki into silence, who instead turned and kicked the bench, cussing, fists clenched.

"I can't believe she would just up and leave us. . . There must be a reason!" Kise said, his own hands clenched into tight fists. "There must be. . ."

"That's true," Midorima stated, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Miyagi-kun isn't the type to leave without giving a reason, let alone a goodbye."

"Haru-chin is nice, and even though she worked too hard, she made good treats. Why would she leave just like that?" Murosakibara rumbled, for once not eating snacks. They sat forgotten on the floor, and he stomped on them, surprising everyone. "She wouldn't. Haru-chin isn't like that."

"A-Ano. . ." Momoi whispered, and everyone turned to look at her in shock.

"Oh right. . . Momoi, you were the last to see Haru-chan. Do you know where she went? What happened? Can we help her? Tell us everything!" Kise yelled, looking like he wanted to be in a million places at once.

"Satsuki, you knew something and didn't tell me? Dang it! We've been worrying about her for weeks! We almost lost one of our games!" Aomine yelled, glaring at her.

She looked down at her feet, shaking visibly. "I-I'm sorry. She didn't want . . . to worry you guys. She said to not say anything- that she would explain it all when she got back. But. . . She never came back." she took a shaky breath and then looked up at them. "She told me to tell you guys 'Good luck' on the championships and to 'Do your best and not let her down'."

Everyone looked shocked except Akashi.

"Dang it!" Aomine yelled again, voicing what everyone felt. How could she just up and leave without telling them? But there was nothing to be done about it now- she was gone. And there was nothing they could do about it.

They won the championships that year- they smashed their competition with every ounce of strength they had. "Victory is everything" became their new principle. Defeat was not an option. Because they couldn't let her down.

They could never be defeated again.

I have to say, I think I'm about as excited to write this as my co-writer is to read it. Props to Brightpath2 (as this is our joint account) for a job well done! I couldn't have finished this chapter without her.

I'd also like to thank everyone who read, followed, or favorited this story. You have no idea how much it means to me! I get excited all over again every time I see that someone has done that.

So, since I anticipate at least some questions regarding her eye, let me clarify- that was not a typo. Didn't know how to explain it in the story, but her bangs cover her right eye, so you can really only see her left. You'll find out why later.

Other than that, please review! I really want to know what you guys think about this story.

Ja ne!

Alya