Disclaimer: I own neither Inuyasha nor Kuroko no Basket and make no money from these writings.

Hustle and Heart

Chapter Thirteen: Makoto Hanamiya
Rating: T
Prompt: Continuation
Requested by: kakashixangela, kagome midnight fox, Linwellin Neinna Von Rosen, and me

"Good morning, Kagome," Hanamiya greeted as he met his ex by her shoe locker.

"Don't you have morning practice?" Kagome returned without sparing the taller boy a glance.

"We finished early."

"And you decided use your extra time to come harass me at my locker? Again?" She asked as she slipped off one set of shoes before putting on another.

Hanamiya watched her closely, trying not to frown at the way she was making a point to not look at him, before saying, "Don't you think "harass" is a little harsh? Is it so horrible to want to say good morning to someone that I care about?"

Kagome stiffened immediately before slamming the door of her small locker shut and rounding on the basketball captain. "You stop that, right now!" She whispered as she pointed a finger at him. "You are not going to emotionally blackmail me into feeling guilty about breaking up with you. You're not even going to try. You're going to leave me alone and respect my choice."

Watching Kagome turn and walk away from him, Hanamiya waited a moment before he said to himself, though still definitely loud enough for her to hear, "But can I really respect a decision that I don't agree with?"

"Excuse me?" Kagome asked as she stopped and slowly turned to face Hanamiya in shock.

A few students had stopped in the entrance hall to watch the the two. Of course they would draw attention; the school's bad boy and the sweet girl nobody understood how he got to date him. It wasn't lost on Hanamiya that they'd been the subject of a lot of the school's gossip even before their break up. Staring down the gawkers, Hanamiya told them in a firm voice, "Go. Away." He got a small thrill at the way everyone around them paled and scurried off before he eventually turned his attention back to the only person who mattered to him at the moment. "I don't agree with your decision," Hanamiya said frankly, picking up where they'd left off as he took several steps towards Kagome to close the gap between them. "I don't want to break up."

Kagome's mouth dropped open and she could only stand there and blink up at the audacity of the man in front of her. "For a genius, you can be so willfully stupid," she mumbled before speaking up in a clearer voice. "This isn't about what you want. For once in this relationship, it has nothing to do with what you want. It's about me. It's about what I want and what's best for me. I told you. I'm not putting up with it anymore; the fighting, the lies, the little manipulations, I'm over it. I'm through being a toy for you to play with when you're bored, Hanamiya. Now, goodbye."

"What if I said I was sorry? And that I meant it? What if I said that I would change?"

"I'm going to be late for class," Kagome sighed to herself before bringing her attention back to Hanamiya. "I never asked you to change. I knew who you were. You can't change a person. Not really. A person has to want to change on their own for it to mean anything and actually work. But I hoped that you might eventually put your ego aside long enough to treat me like an equal. You only ever called to push my buttons and fight. We only ever went on dates when you were bored or wanted to placate me. You never acted like I was a priority. I was just...a way for you to pass time. Just another one of those stupid toys you talk about. And you're just mad that I left before you could break me."

Hanamiya frowned at what he was being told. Was that really what she thought? Was that really how he'd made her feel? Like she was just a toy? A distraction? "I'm sorry," he said without thinking, and the emotion and sincerity in his voice surprised even himself.

Kagome was taken aback by how open Hanamiya's face was in that moment. No smirking, nothing calculating in his eyes, just honest surprise and remorse. That one small apology was the most honest thing she'd ever come out of his mouth.

Or, at least, that was the way it sounded. Closing her mouth and tightening her jaw, Kagome took a step back away from Hanamiya. He was a very good actor. He was easily able to wrap teachers, referees, and anyone else who could benefit him around his fingers. Kagome tried to speak only to have nothing come out. Swallowing, she tried again, "I want to believe that. I wish I could. But they're just words, and I've had too many bad experiences with yours."

Watching Kagome walk away again, Hanamiya held back the urge to punch a locker. "Damn it," he swore. Thinking about what she'd said, a new plan started forming in his mind. "Just words, huh?"

Soon it became common for Kagome to find small gifts left for her at school. Her favorite flower in her shoe locker. Pastries from her favorite shops left on her desk. Books by authors and CDs by bands that she liked.

It was confusing at first. She wasn't sure where they were coming at first. She wondered if there was an admirer somewhere in the school who was finally trying to reach out to her now that she was single. But on one day in particular a certain CD showed up. It was by a band she normally wouldn't listen to but that she considered her "guilty pleasure." She hadn't told any of her friends about it. She'd only ever told Hanamiya. He'd teased her for it and she'd never brought it up again, but he was the only one who knew. He was the one leaving all these gifts?

Thinking back on it, Kagome was surprised. He'd gotten all of her favorites. Things she never really went on and on about and usually only mentioned in passing. Had he actually remembered all of it? Since when had he been paying attention?

Another surprise came not long after. It wasn't uncommon to hear people talking about Makoto Hanamiya in the halls, usually about his latest questionable plays on the court. But the gossip was starting to shift. Word was that the Kirisaki Daiichi boys were cleaning up their act. The last several games had finished up with no injuries and little to no suspected cheating. And that was something Kagome had to see for herself to believe.

During Kirisaki's next game, Kagome sat in the crowds to watch the game. She went alone, not telling anyone that she'd be there specifically so that it wouldn't get back to Hanamiya. She chose her seat carefully so that he wouldn't be able to see her if he happened to look out into the stands. And for the first time, she watched Hanamiya play basketball in an official game.

He seemed so focused, she thought. The others on the team, boys she knew mostly from her association with their captain and coach, were very good at what they did, but it was obvious that Hanamiya was pulling the strings and commanding the game. Kagome watched him very closely. His dirty tricks were hard to prove, which was the reason he'd never gotten caught. She wanted to be absolutely certain that he was playing honestly and not just using new tactics.

But when a player from the other team fell - and through no fault of any of the Kirisaki boys - Hanamiya actually stopped. He stared at the player for a moment, as though he was debating with himself, before extending a hand and helping the other boy to his feet. Kagome actually laughed when Hanamiya sneered and wiped his hand on his shorts after the other player released him and walked away. He was obviously trying very hard to be a better person, even if it irked him to no end. And just seeing him try warmed a small part of her.

Without their tricks, Kirisaki Daiichi was still able to win, but Hanamiya didn't exactly look thrilled that he hadn't been able to crush his opponent.

After the game, Kagome tracked down the locker rooms and waited. It didn't take long for the team to reemerge, and Kagome had to bite her lip not to smile at the shock written across her ex's face. "Good game," she congratulated them.

"Thanks," Hanamiya said as his brain caught up to the situation. She was there. She had seen. It had been part of his plan that she'd eventually hear about their clean games, but he'd been planning to invite her to watch one for herself in another couple of weeks. She'd pushed up his plans and he needed to adapt.

"It was the first time I've seen you play," Kagome said, suddenly a little nervous at the way the players standing behind Hanamiya were watching them.

Seeing that Kagome was getting antsy, Hanamiya quickly dismissed the rest of his team. "We'll have a meeting about the game tomorrow morning." Most of them gave him knowing looks and little grins before they continued on their way and disappeared around the corner. Turning back to face Kagome, he told her, "I didn't know that you were going to be here today."

"I know."

"And?"

Kagome looked over his face as she asked, "Are you serious about this? About this new leaf or whatever it is you're doing?"

"If it's for you," Hanamiya started before he paused. He wanted to tell her that if it would make her happy, if it would make her proud to call him hers, if it would win her back, he would do anything she asked. But he still had a reputation and she probably wouldn't believe him if he suddenly told her exactly how much he cared, if he told her all of the things he'd neglected telling her before. So, for now, he would take things in baby steps. He just knew that if she gave him a second chance, he wouldn't be making the same mistakes. "Yeah," he finally answered.

Releasing a sigh, Kagome nodded and smiled. "Well," she said as she turned towards the exit. "Do you want to get something to eat? And maybe talk?"

"Sure," Hanamiya nodded, allowing himself a small grin at her offer.

They made it a few steps before he felt Kagome's fingers, light and hesitant, slip into his hand. Tightening his grip on her much smaller hand, he thought for a moment, weighed his pros and cons, and hesitated for only a second before he leaned down to kiss the top of her head in the empty hallway. When Kagome turned surprised eyes up at him, Hanamiya almost blushed. He'd never really shown her little affections like that while they were out before. He'd thought himself above it. But he was trying something new this time. And the way her eyes and face lit up, he thought it might be even better than the expressions she made when they fought. He would need to gather more data just to be sure though.