Polar Opposites

Chapter Five: Our Opponent

Despite the awkward air around them while at Maji Burger, Naoko found she still learned quite a lot, working with Kagami. Of course, her nerves made her extra clumsy and whenever she talked, she ended up tripping over her words and stuttering. Naoko was sure her face was going to permanently be red, all because of her embarrassment.

When the fast-food restaurant closed and everyone left, she found herself walking back home with Kagami. She knew it could not be helped, anyway, as they lived in the same building. But still it was awkward and Naoko soon tripped over her own two feet, letting out a 'kyaa!'

She quickly got up and brushed herself off, taking a deep breath in before releasing it. Ever since moving and attending Seirin, it seems her normal lifestyle of grace and elegance quickly went out the window because of the sudden wave of nerves and stress that greeted her every day.

Naoko found that she really needed to work on getting lost in her own little world again; where it was safe and peaceful.

The second year was glad when she stepped through the door of her apartment after bidding Kagami a 'good night'. Although it was dark and cold, with no one to welcome her home – something many kids would get depressed about – she found it quite nice.

Of course she missed her parents and her grandparents but she really did love her solitude. It gave her energy that was otherwise used up during the busy days of being surrounded by chattering people at school and work.

Naoko covered her mouth as she yawned. She blinked her tired eyes and changed into her pajamas before heading into the kitchen. The light-haired brunette hummed to herself as she busied herself around the kitchen, making tomorrow's lunch as well as making herself something to eat at the moment.

One she finished, the amethyst eyed teen put her lunch into the refrigerator and ate her late-night dinner. When she was done, the Naoko made sure everything was clean and tidy before going into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face.

She yawned again as she retired to her warm, comfortable bed.

Naoko woke up feeling warm and comfortable. She breathed deeply and stretched in her bed, not wanting to leave the comfort. She rolled onto her side and grabbed her cell phone, looking at the time.

'Twelve minutes before the alarm...' Naoko thought, turning her alarm off since she was awake already. She moved onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, spending a few more minutes in the warmth before she started her morning routine.

After eating breakfast, Naoko made sure she had everything before she left her apartment. She locked the door and went to the elevator, still feeling quite sleepy. She rubbed her eyes and when she heard footsteps approaching, she moved over to make room for the other person waiting for the elevator. Naoko glanced over and was surprised to see Kagami. She stared at him, wondering if he even noticed her.

Her classmate had blood shot eyes as he failed in an attempt to stifle his loud yawn. Naoko frowned and turned away. Kagami groaned to himself, rubbing his face tiredly. "I shouldn't have met with that bastard…"

Okay. Naoko's curiosity was piqued. 'It's rude to eavesdrop...' She reminded herself.

"Stupid Ahomine…" Kagami muttered, still unaware of Naoko standing next to him.

Naoko held back a sigh and instead cleared her throat softly, "Uhm," She started, making Kagami jolt in surprise. He stumbled back in shock, looking more awake than he did a moment ago.

"What the hell, Kuro-… ko…" Kagami stared at Naoko for a solid minute before shaking his head quickly. "I could have sworn you were Kuroko. He does that all the time, I mean… Can you use misdirection?"

Naoko furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, suddenly regretting alerting Kagami of her presence. "Misdirection? I don't think so…" She thought of the magic tricks people would perform on television. Just as the elevator arrived, both students got on and Naoko glanced at Kagami. "Also, what is an ahomine?"

Kagami snorted in amusement, finding that the idiotic nickname for Aomine coming from some girl was hilarious. "His name is actually Aomine. But I call him Ahomine because he's an idiot." Kagami explained.

"Oh," Naoko blinked, suddenly feeling bad for using the nickname in such a way. She then realized something, saying, "Is it like how Riko-senpai calls you Bakagami?"

"Oi." Kagami glared at Naoko, who shrunk back. Kagami heaved a sigh and scratched his cheek, turning away. "It's like that." He uttered childishly, hating to be put on the same boat as Aomine.

The two got off the elevator and began to head to school. It was silent for the most part, until Kuroko joined them halfway there. The blue haired teen looked surprised when he noticed Naoko, but smiled nonetheless. "Good morning, Usami-san."

"Good morning." Naoko replied with a small smile.

"Kuroko, what about me?" Kagami scoffed.

"It doesn't appear to be a good morning for you, Kagami-kun." Kuroko spoke as he turned his gaze to the taller teenager. "Don't tell me you and Aomine-kun went out to play street ball in the middle of the night again."

"I figured it would be a good idea at the time since we didn't have practice this morning." Kagami retorted, looking away from Kuroko, as to hide the redness of his eyes.

"Just be glad there was no practice." Kuroko scolded Kagami. "Did you get off late again?" The blue eyed teenager asked, changing the subject.

Kagami nodded his head, "Yeah, we left sometime after 11:00 and got home around 11:30-ish..."

"We?"

"Geh-… Y- Yeah. U- Us- Usa-"

"You mean Usami-san?" Kuroko blinked, surprised. The shadow of Seirin turned his gaze to Naoko from Kagami, and the girl nodded her head in confirmation. "I didn't expect you two to live near each other."

"I was shocked, as well." Naoko murmured, tearing her attention away from the two. The two conversed as usual and Naoko suddenly felt out of place. She awkwardly hung back to give them their space, keeping her eyes on her shoes.

Once they arrived at school, the three walked into their class and Naoko smiled again, seeing Himeyori leaning against her desk, waiting with a grin.

When it was time for Naoko to head to the gym after school, she bid Himeyori farewell and quietly made her way to the gymnasium. She walked inside and spotted Riko sitting on one of the benches, humming to herself as she waited for all the members to arrive. "Good afternoon, Riko-senpai." Naoko greeted her upperclassmen.

Riko's head rose and she smiled, "Hey!" She replied, scooting over as she patted the space next to her.

Naoko took the seat offered to her and watched as Riko jotted things down on a piece of paper. "You're going to love this, Naoko-chan." Riko turned to her, a big smile on her face.

Naoko raised her eyebrow, "... Does this have anything to do with why I saw you skipping around during lunch time?" Naoko asked curiously, studying the short haired brunette next to her.

Riko blinked and laughed, "You saw that?" The third year asked, a pleasant smile on her face. Naoko nodded. Riko shrugged and said, "I've been told I do that when I score us a good match."

"A good match...?" Naoko repeated, looking at her lap in confusion before focusing back on Riko. "You mean a basketball match? With another school?" Riko nodded her head furiously at her questions, a huge grin on her face.

"We've already beat them a bunch of times but our opponents are still incredible! I'm just excited because it's definitely going to be a good match for you to watch, you know?" As Riko talked, the other members slowly all began to file in the gymnasium. "We're going to be facing Kaijou!"

"Really!?" Kagami burst, startling both girls.

Riko smacked him with her clipboard, a glare on her face. "Bakagami! Learn how to not sneak up on innocent girls!" She scolded, folding her arms over her chest.

"Wha- Kuroko literally does this all the time!" Kagami grumbled, marching to the center of the gym as he waited for said boy to show up. The two-toned red head grumbled to himself and not even a minute later, Kuroko appeared in front of him.

Kagami was startled but he was determined not to show it. Instead he stared down at Kuroko who was staring up at him. Kagami blinked, suddenly feeling awkward. He scratched his head but felt annoyed when Kuroko smirked. "What?" He asked in a huff.

"It's nothing, Kagami-kun." Kuroko replied, walking to where Hyuuga and the others were gathering. The shadow noticed Kagami following him, so he turned to look up at his light. "Did you find out who we're going up against?"

"Kaijou." The red head responded.

Kuroko smiled, "They seem awfully determined to beat us already." He said, causing Kagami to snort.

"They can try." Kagami grinned, suddenly feeling excited about the match to come, despite facing Kaijou multiple times already. "It's going to be hard since they don't have their strong-willed upperclassmen anymore..." Kagami mumbled.

Kuroko shrugged, "Maybe... Or maybe Kise and Yasuhiro have gotten better than anticipated." He smiled at the thought. "They aren't called the idiot duo for nothing."

"Don't remind me." Kagami complained, running his hands through his hair. He was about to ask Kuroko another question when Riko suddenly blew her whistle. This caught the attention of all the members and they turned to face her.

"Listen up, everyone! Kaijou will be coming here on Monday for a practice match! This gives you a few days to train your hardest for the upcoming match! I expect you to kick their butt again!" Riko grinned, her hands on her hips.

The third year looked at Naoko and patted her shoulder, making the petite girl jump slightly. "Be sure to learn as much as you can, Naoko!" Riko smiled.

Naoko nodded, "I- I'll try my best, Riko-senpai." She smiled in return.

Yeeey, a match with Kaijou! And if you know Kuroi, then you are awesome.

~WinterAssassin~