Part 3

The more I miss them, the more they fade

Memories of everything connected to the passion I felt

Of all the things I never should've been able to abandon

Of all the smiles we shared / Of all those times we bumped fists

When we could just be happy, plain and simple…

It was one of the rare days that the basketball team had a day off, since their coach was away and the third years had a program to attend. Even Wakamatsu had decided to end the week early, sending the team a message informing them of the break before going home for the weekend. Aomine had spent most of the school afternoon asleep, so he didn't see the message, but he wouldn't have attended practice either way. Satsuki had come upstairs to wake him after using the extra time to complete a bit of paperwork, so he decided to head home with her.

As they were walking along the familiar path to their houses, Aomine's phone chimed with a message. He flipped it open.

16:49

Sender: Kise

To: Aominecchi

aominecchi congrats on your win! I saw the match

Satsuki peered curiously at the screen. "Ki-chan was there?"

16:50

Sender: Aomine

To: Kise

yeah thanks

16:50

Sender: Aomine

To: Kise

the only one who can beat me is me anyway

16:51

Sender: Kise

To: Aominecchi

we'll see about that! kasamatsu-senpai got our match details and we're playing against you guys in three weeks or so

16:51

Sender: Aomine

To: Kise

oh really? that'll be interesting since you never won once against me

16:52

Sender: Kise

To: Aominecchi

so mean… but don't underestimate kaijou! its kinda sad we cant have a one-on-one

16:53

Sender: Aomine

To: Kise

yeah but im not going all the way to kanagawa for a one-on-one we'll have later anyways

After two minutes without a reply from Kise, Aomine pocketed his phone. Satsuki smiled up at him. "How many one-on-ones did the two of you have, anyway?"

"How would I know? We always did whenever we had practice."

"Basketball bakas," laughed Satsuki. "He told me he only got to know you because you hit him on the head with a basketball."

"It wasn't on purpose. The ball slipped."

"Aomine-kun, you never let a basketball slip."

"Fine," sighed Aomine with a short chuckle. "I thought it might be fun to see how he reacted."

Kise had shown up at the gymnasium barely five minutes later. Aomine was playing a practice game, completely focused on his movements. He only noticed Kise's wide-eyed stare when he turned after speaking to one of the players.

You want to play too? he had asked, not with his voice but with his expression.

The blond had smiled, giving a nod. "I'm new to this game, so perhaps I could watch first?" Without waiting for a reply, he headed to one of the benches. Aomine noticed a couple of the team's female managers looking at the model with their cheeks pink. Satsuki hesitantly went over to the new arrival, asking about his club. "Oh, I don't have one because I thought modelling would be too tiring. Basketball seems fun, though, so I'll try it out."

When practice was over, Kise stood and approached Aomine. "That was amazing! Aomine-kun, right? Momoi-san said you're the ace of the first string!"

Aomine laughed a little awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "I guess. Thanks."

"Do you think-" a spark flashed in golden cat-like eyes, "we could have a one-on-one?"

"Aren't you scared of losing?"

Kise grinned. "I know I'll lose. That's why I want to play against you. There's something I want to try."

When the match began, Kise's familiarity with basketball techniques surprised Aomine. Aomine eventually realised that Kise's strength was in copying movements, which explained how he had learnt to play after watching the club practice. When Aomine upped his agility and broke out a few streetball techniques, though, the point difference widened.

The last shot, surprisingly, was from Kise, who had copied one of Aomine's formless shots to end the game 8-20. Aomine saw his tiredness and decided to end the game there. Kise had wanted to continue, but Satsuki, looking at her watch, had said that it was getting late. As the three put the basketballs and equipment away, Kise had asked Satsuki if he could join the basketball club. She had agreed to get him a form the next day.

"Thank you, Momoi-san! And thank you too, Aominecchi!" Kise had said as he was leaving, swinging his bag over his shoulder with an easy grace. Aomine nodded back, then realised what Kise had called him. "A-aominecchi?"

"I add 'cchi' to the names of those who I respect," Kise had replied, a smile crossing his face.

"Ki-chan really has become an amazing player," murmured Satsuki. "Anyway, since we've got a day off today, I was thinking-"

"If you're thinking about the shoe thing this evening, I'm not going."

Satsuki laughed. "How did you know about it? There might be basketball shoes there, you know?"

"What's the use of getting basketball shoes when I don't even attend practice? Anyway, I don't want to stand at the side holding your stuff while you try on all the shoes you think Tetsu might like. For three hours."

"I'm not actually going to ask you to go there, Aomine-kun! I was thinking of somewhere more familiar, actually. Besides, it's already five." She tugged at Aomine's sleeve, pulling him with her. "Let's go get popsicles. The convenience store isn't very far from here."

The door creaked as it swung closed behind Aomine and Satsuki, each carrying a popsicle. Aomine had decided to buy a snack as well, stashing the maiubo in his pocket. The maiubo was sold in individual sticks and in boxes, and Aomine had noticed the cashier looking at them as if wondering where the purple-haired giant who always bought a box of the snacks had gone.

"I haven't had these in such a long time! Ne, Aomine-kun?" Satsuki smiled as she took a bite, blushing when she remembered something. "And this is where Tetsu-kun gave me the popsicle stick! Oh, I hope he's still okay after the-" She ended her sentence suddenly as if afraid of finishing it.

Aomine had an idea of what she wanted to say, but decided to let it go. "You never redeemed that popsicle stick, did you?"

"Ah, keep your mouth shut…"

The two continued walking under the glow of the setting sun. Satsuki was slightly in front, leading the way. "You guys caught a purse-snatcher last time, right? I was at the back with Midorin and Tetsu-kun, so I didn't see anything… only Midorin throwing the maiubo."

"Nothing much, actually. Kise and I chased him, then Midorima's shot nailed him on the head so he fell off his bike. He stepped on the maiubo box and was going to punch Kise when Murasakibara turned up…"

Satsuki's eyes widened comically. "You should have seen Mukkun run after the box like his life depended on it! I pity the purse-snatcher. I asked Midorin how he was going to hit a moving target, and he just said that Cancers were ranked first and he had done everything he could that day!"

"Of course he would."

"As Tetsu-kun said, it was a good team effort, wasn't it, Aomine-kun?"

Team effort. Aomine froze for a millisecond, then nodded wordlessly. He knew the literal meaning, but he doubted he actually understood the phrase anymore.

He could remember the matches he had played in Teikou. After their first game, their first victory, he definitely knew even Haizaki had smiled. To his surprise, he found he had no memory of how they had celebrated. It was understandable, though, since it had been so long ago.

But when was the last time Aomine had joined his rainbow-haired companions in recounting their "battle exploits", in commenting on the plays each of them had perfected, in the banter that had eventually died out? When was the last time the Miracles had shared a genuine laugh, their enthusiasm rivalling Kise's? When was the last time Akashi had congratulated the team on their victory, warmth in his eyes? When was the last time Tetsu had smiled as their fists met, happiness breaking through his usual blank expression?

When was the last time they had passed the ball around, confidence in themselves and each other shining in multicoloured irises? When had they begun to grip the ball more tightly, determined to bring it through the basket by themselves, only passing reluctantly when they had no other choice?

There was a match, he remembered, in which Teikou had had their usual landslide victory. They had been so tense before, unsure if their strength would only bring them so far, but they were finally set as national champions.

The head coach had spoken to him during half-time. He knew Aomine was losing his passion. He hoped he would continue to find a love for basketball in himself even as he grew stronger than anyone had. And Aomine had questioned himself then, as he had many times before: why was he losing interest in what he had loved? Where was the passion that had kept him dragging a nine-year-old Satsuki to the court so he could face off with players twice his age?

After the match, when his teammates were celebrating, he felt none of the expected euphoria. Nijimura noticed, and had placed a hand on his head, urging him to join them, telling him to be honest with himself. So Aomine had forced his questions aside and stepped forward, towards a beaming Kise, towards Tetsu, his expression a silent congratulation of Aomine's play, towards Murasakibara, stretching lazily, towards Midorima and Akashi, bumping fists as they looked proudly at the team they had led so far.

And for a while, he had remembered the joy of his basketball. The feel of adrenaline rushing through him, sharpening his concentration as he brought the ball with him in a formless series of movements, faking, rolling, driving, dunking. The roars of the crowd carrying him and his teammates through their games. And above all, the euphoria of competition and victory.

Aomine had tried to save his passion, at first. The problem was his strength, so he stopped going to practice, hoping that somebody would eventually catch up. Without practice, he didn't get to see the five Miracles as much. He avoided them, in fact, since he wasn't sure how they would react to him. Tetsu tried to talk to him, but it didn't help much. The others acted indifferent, but began growing apart as well. He supposed Kise might have tried to hold them together with his cheer, but he knew it wouldn't have taken long for even the blond to give up. All of them, like Aomine, had lost their love for the sport.

That was when the competition had started, wars within themselves, aiming for the twenty-point quota, flaring up whenever another took their goal. During the games, each Miracle played for himself, wanting nothing but to score more goals than the rest. Tetsu was subbed in less and less, only playing in more important matches.

The one-on-ones with Kise were one of the only things that reminded him of what the Miracles had once had. Aomine knew he could count on Kise to email him every three weeks or so, asking if he wanted to play on the street courts. Though Kise was still too weak to defeat Aomine, he always put up a tough fight, so Aomine could never afford to go easy on him- something that brought him some relief. Playing against Kise was more exciting than the games against the middle-school teams they had surpassed, at least. There were the other Miracles, of course, but the one-on-ones had become something the two of them shared.

A liquid chill from his melting popsicle brought Aomine out of his thoughts. He hurriedly finished it, wondering why Satsuki hadn't said anything. It turned out that she was typing away on her phone, frowning slightly.

"Aomine-kun, did Tanaka-sensei say anything about the deadline for that Literature assignment? Kotara-san was complaining about only having a week to finish everything…"

"Huh? There was an assignment?"

"Didn't I pass you a copy since you were on the roof?"

"Oh, yeah…"

"You haven't started on it, have you?"

"I'll end up copying yours as usual, so what's there to worry about?"

"Aomine-kun!"

The rest of the walk home passed with their usual banter. Above them, the sun was setting, casting shades of pink and gold across the sky.

It's not that I'm wondering if I could get it all back

If I were to forget everything, I don't think I'd mind

But none of that changes who I am / There's still no way I'll lose

I'll take my desire to win and make that my answer

On the day of the match against Kaijou, Aomine got off the bus one stop early, jogged the rest of the way to the gymnasium, and spent fifteen whole minutes at the street court behind it, warming up. If he was going to beat Kise, he couldn't play a half-assed game.

Ten minutes before the gathering time, Aomine stepped into the gymnasium, sauntering through the maze of blue-tiled corridors. A faint ringing from the bottom of his bag told him Satsuki was calling. Maybe he should have turned his phone off. He went left and glimpsed a black-haired Kaijou player sitting on a bench in the corridor. Wrong place.

Doubling back, he heard shouting. The voice sounded like Wakamatsu's, so he hurried towards its source. The words were getting clearer. "...late to every game! Even when he shows up, he doesn't always play! I'm sure he'll be late again today!"

Aomine smirked and continued down the corridor towards Touou's room (as the sign beside it indicated). Coach Harasawa had just finished speaking, something about the team being in trouble if Aomine didn't show up. He turned the doorknob, swinging the door open with a creak. "Hey. Did you say something?"

"Looks like you've already warmed up," commented the coach.

"Yeah, I thought you guys might have some trouble without me today."

Satsuki took a step forward. "Don't make me worry every time!"

"We're up against Kise. There's no way I would be late."

"Eh?"

"I've been looking forward to playing against him for a long time." Finally. The first clash between two Miracles. "He's one of the few guys I can crush with all my might."

Coach Harasawa nodded. "Okay. It's almost time. We have to go."

Aomine left the room together with his teammates. Satsuki walked silently beside him, making last minute notes on Kaijou's data.

The teams were announced onto the court with a burst of cheering from the audience. Aomine could hear Kise's fangirls squealing from the stands. The high school teams watching had already filed in, studying the players. Kaijou was doing their final warm-up stretches as their captain walked to the bench players and high-fived them. Aomine recognised him as the black-haired player he had seen on the bench. So that was Kise's Kasamatsu-senpai. As for the Touou players, most of the starting members, except Aomine, were listening to the coach and Satsuki's instructions.

Aomine stared out at the Interhigh court. The footsteps approaching him had a familiar rhythm. He turned to his former teammate, slightly surprised by the lack of an excited greeting. Kise only smiled. "I won't lose, Aominecchi."

"What? You're awfully confident, Kise. Have you ever beaten me before?"

"I'll win today. I really don't want to lose today." Confidence glimmered in his golden eyes. Aomine remembered, once again, countless one-on-ones, laughter ringing through the air as their basketball shoes scuffed the floor of the school gymnasium and the street court.

"Oi, Kise! Whatever you want to tell him, say it on the court! Come here!" Kasamatsu yelled. Kise gave Aomine an apologetic look and hurried over, joining his teammates as Kasamatsu outlined some sort of strategy to them. Aomine cast an appraising glance at Kaijou's captain, noting the amount of presence he exuded. Imayoshi called to the Touou players and Aomine walked over to join the starting lineup.

Aomine wondered why he had thought so much of the Miracles in the past few weeks. Perhaps it was because of the prospect of playing against them. He let the memories of their matches flash past, remembering Kise's playing style; recalling countless celebrations, then countless postgame periods spent alone.

From the corner of his eye, he spotted Tetsu with the rest of Seirin, watching.

"From hereon, we are all rivals. The next time I see you will be the high school championships." Akashi's calm voice echoed through the empty Teikou gym, sunlight filtering through its dusty windows.

"Well, that's true, but we don't have to get so cutthroat so quickly…" Kise, as usual, was trying to lighten the mood.

"It's just coincidence that we all parted ways." Murasakibara's usual monotone betrayed no emotion.

"Coincidence?" Akashi shook his head slightly, heterochromatic eyes flashing. "This is far from coincidence. The number of schools with powerhouse teams is very limited. However, none of us thought even for a second about going to the same school as another."

The Miracles stiffened.

"In the first place, we despise being rounded up into one nickname, the Generation of Miracles. If we face off, we are sure to see who is superior. We each feel that 'there is nobody above me'. And to prove that, we cannot help feeling a need to curtail everyone else. That is not logic, but instinct."

After all this, the feeling that I want to win is still with me. Perhaps that was one of the only things that kept Aomine playing basketball, long after his motivation was gone. But even without motivation, even with his past in Teikou, he was still formless, infinite. He was no longer the person he had been in Teikou Middle School. He was the ace of Touou and the Generation of Miracles, Aomine Daiki.

"The second quarterfinal game between Kaijou High School and Touou Academy will now begin!"

The referee threw the ball skyward.

The two centers leaped into the air, reaching for it.

"I won't lose, Aominecchi."

Neither will I, Kise.

Once again…