Author's note: English is not my first language, so I'm sorry for any mistakes. My friend goes through the chapters to check it for me , but there still might be some faults. I hope I'll manage to keep everyone from KNB in character.

Also, events of one day are separated by "######", while days are separated by a horizontal line.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroko no basket, but I do own my characters. (And I write this disclaimer here only once.)

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end. – Seneca

At every step the child should be allowed to meet the real experience of life; the thorns should never be plucked from his roses. – Ellen Key

Elegance isn't solely defined by what you wear. It's how you carry yourself, how you speak, what you read. – Carolina Herrera

Listen to the desires of your children. Encourage them and then give them the autonomy to make their own decision. – Denis Waitley

The last competition.

The last performance.

The last applause.

She wanted it to be her best.

She bowed down when music stopped out of habit. Her heart was thumping in a familiar way, adrenaline and joy running through her veins. But this day, there was something more; her heart breaking. She was leaving a part of it behind and it hurt so damn much. The moment she'd step out of that patch of light, it'd all end.

Tears stung in her eyes, but she refused to let them out.

You decided it for yourself. Don't you dare cry, Aya, it's the right choice. She told herself.

The most difficult part of all this was, however, still awaiting her.

Several months later...

It was her second day at Touou, and she was pretty much lost in this huge institution. She had to come super early if she wanted to look for the office where Harasawa Katsunori sat. After several tries, she finally found a door with his nametag on it.

How classy, he has his own office. She thought.

She knocked on the door and without waiting for an answer she invited herself in. "Hello. You wanted to see me?" She asked, but it was more of a statement than a question.

The dark-haired middle-aged man didn't bother to look up at her. "Sure, you can come in. Make yourself at home." He said sarcastically.

"Gladly, Katsunori." She smiled and remained standing opposite him, waiting for him to actually look at her.

He could hear a smirk in her voice and tone. He expected to see several students that morning and he didn't remember this particular voice. What a stupid idiot would call him, a teacher, by his name? He looked up at the stupid girl, and had to double take when he saw her. Two toned black and deep dark red hair, braided into a French braid; reddish-brown eyes and a perfectly shaped figure were something he didn't quite expect to see.

"A-A-Aya!" He stuttered and blinked. Yes, he had expected her to come. Yes, he'd known her since the cradle. No, he hadn't expected this. This was not the six-year old rascal with short hair and scraped knees, he had hoped to see. This Aya was a teenager, almost a grown woman. "When did you become an adult?"

"There were circumstances... Oi... Don't look so stunned, ol' man, it's weird." She was glad to see him after such a long time. There was a lot they had to catch up on and a lot to talk about. It'd been almost eight years since their last meeting after all.

######

When she walked into her classroom a few minutes before the bell rang, it was almost full. Some people whispered about her, mostly due to her rather fiery appearance (they were far from being used to it) and the way in which she carried herself. She was light on her feet, walking with her back straight and head held high. She had an air of self-confidence surrounding her. Every step looked like a part of some highly refined dance. The students in her class looked at her in awe and wonder. Aya was embodied elegance – many girls gave her envious looks, but she ignored it.

She greeted everyone she had spoken with the previous day with a smile, exchanged some words and headed to her seat. The overly shy girl, Ohno Kiku, who sat next to her and whom Aya wanted to befriend, wasn't there yet, but a boy sitting behind her was there already.

Finally she could have a good look at him. He was looking out of the window lazily, lost in his own thoughts, or maybe not thinking about anything. He was tall, muscular and tanned, or dark skinned, she wasn't sure. In combination with his navy blue hair, dark eyes and what seemed like an ever-present frown, he appealed almost intimidating and scary. Not to Aya though. She had faced people much more intimidating and scary than the boy was.

On the contrary: He's kinda hot, she thought. Too bad, she couldn't remember his name.

As if feeling her steady gaze, he turned to look at her. "What?" He asked in a husky voice and eyed the girl up and down. There was no saying he didn't like what he saw. He stopped on her boobs for a moment too long (evaluating her cup size – not that he really could), to go unnoticed, but she didn't seem to be bothered or embarrassed by it. Strange... He thought.

It wasn't like he hadn't noticed her the previous day – she was sitting in front of him – but he wanted to avoid the overflowing energy and enthusiasm she emanated.

"I don't remember your name from yesterday..." She said bluntly and her reddish-brown eyes were burning as she was trying to remember. "Would you mind refreshing my memory?" She asked with a polite smile.

Just when she spoke directly to him, he noticed her strange accent. Not too foreign, but not exactly Japanese.

He couldn't remember her name either... But he wouldn't go as far as asking her. "Aomine Daiki." He answered simply.

"Aomine... Daiki..." She repeated slowly, as if tasting his name. "I'd swear I've heard your name somewhere before."

"Like yesterday during homeroom?"

Aya chuckled. "I guess so." Aomine Daiki sure had a sense of humour. "I'm Kagami Aya by the way. It's nice to meet you, finally."

His eyes ran all over her again and then he said; "Sorry, I'm not into socializing much."

"Yeah, I could guess that." She smirked, and when he gave her a questioning look, she pointed at his forehead, "that frown of yours speaks loud and clear."

"Hmph." He turned his attention back to the trees swaying in a spring breeze.

Aya was trying to evaluate him. Her eyes darting all over him, but she wasn't sure what to think of him. He seemed bored, lazy, uninterested. And he wasn't paying attention to her anymore. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, showing off some refined muscles and she noticed calluses on his palms, and there was the way he walked... That could only mean he did some sport, and she had an idea what sport it might've been. Plus he must've been good at it, because he had a presence much greater than a high-schooler should have.

"You play basketball?" She made her 'lucky' guess.

He snapped from his daydreaming and looked at her again. "How...?"

"Just a hunch but I see I was right!" She said happily with a satisfied smile. Now I know where I've heard his name. Katsunori mentioned him before. The problematic ace to be...

"Hmph... What was your hunch based on?" Not sure how to feel about the girl, he was carefully watching her expressions. He was in the class with her for two days, and she noticed that much.

"Your built, those forearms and calloused palms. The way you move and the keychain." She shrugged nonchalantly.

For the first time, Aomine felt self-conscious about his calluses and that darn keychain he got years ago, but couldn't get rid of. He frowned at his bag, where the said keychain in the shape of basketball was hanging. Then he looked back at her. "Acting like you know much?"

"Oh?" Aya didn't expect him to be so unapproachable. So different from Taiga. "Do you even like basket?" She blurted out.

His eyes darkened when he looked into hers. "That's none of your business."

For a moment she could see a storm going on in those dark blue orbs of his. It was like a stormy sea, dark blue waves crashing into each other and swirling around. The intensity of it took her breath away.

Hmmmm... "If you say so. Sorry for bothering you." She turned away from him. She understood the signal to leave him alone.

Just when the bell rang, a small, short-haired girl with thick framed glasses entered the classroom. No one paid attention to her, but she seemed to be very stressed about it. Her bag looked big on her and her eyes were glued to the ground.

She headed to her seat – next to Aya – as if it was the only safe place in this classroom. One step away from her spot, she tripped over her undone shoelaces and started to fall down.

Aya reflexively sprang up to catch her, or at least soften the girl's fall.

The sudden clatter of chairs made people to look at them.

They both managed to stay on their feet – the glasses' girl was relatively light, and Aya had a good coordination and lean, but firm muscles acquired by years of relentless practise.

"Are you alright?" Aya asked her.

"Y-y-y-yes!" The girl sprang upwards, her eyes wide – it was the first time someone had caught her, or helped her... The redhead was like some knight from a fairy tale. She bowed down. "T-t-thank you, Kagami-san!"

"It's nothing." Aya smiled at her, taken aback that the girl remembered her name. "You should tie your shoelaces, though." She pointed out.

The girl's cheeks turned bright red, and she glanced at her shoes – those weren't school issued indoor shoes, but black, ankle-high converse. She immediately bent down to tie it, almost hitting the desk with her head in the process.

"T-t-thank you again." She breathed out when she got up – shoelaces tied already.

Aya chuckled. "No need to be so nervous, Ohno-san. I don't bite." Most of the time.

"Y-y-yes." The girl stammered nervously again and finally managed to sit down, putting her bag on the desk.

Aya wanted to ask something more, to talk with the shy girl more, but a teacher came in and classes started.

######

Around 25 guys and a girl gathered inside the gym. They all wore their uniforms, because all clubs' practises were supposed to start the next afternoon. The third and second years were already chatting vividly, some of the first years too, but they mostly just stood around awkwardly, not sure what to do as they waited for the coach.

Aya came in a little bit later, she forgot to watch the time while talking with a girl from another class. When she entered the gym, everyone looked at her curiously. Aya had a tendency to stir awe and wonder in people around her. And it was no different in this team.

She recognised some boys from her class, surprisingly lot to top it, but most of them were still strangers to her. There was also a pink-haired girl who ran up to her immediately after seeing her. Probably the one Katsunori had mentioned previously.

"Another girl on the team! I can't believe it." She exclaimed smiling happily. "I won't be the only one doing everything!"

Aomine's eyes widened as he recognized the redhead. Who would have thought she'd be on the basketball team? Even if he acted disinterested, he tagged along behind Satsuki. He wasn't in a mood to talk with the others and this turn of events was unexpected.

"Glad you are happy. I'm Kagami Aya." She bowed slightly, fighting the urge to offer a handshake.

"Momoi Satsuki. I'm Aomine-kun's childhood friend." She said enthusiastically.

"Oh. Interesting." Aya wondered why she would tell her that, but whatever. The pinkette was cute, slender but she had, for a Japanese girl, unusually huge breasts – probably two or three cup sizes bigger than Aya's – and it made Aya recall Aomine's judging gaze on her breasts. Was he comparing?

"Were you a manager in your middle school as well?" Satsuki asked fishing for any information she could get, so she could run some background check on Aya. Professional curiosity, as she liked to call it.

"No. I wasn't in any school club." She answered; not lying but not giving a completely clear answer either.

"Eeeh? Then why have you decided to join a basketball club now? It's not that easy. If it's just out of obligation, you could've picked a literature club or something where you don't have to do much." She blurted out without thinking about her answer properly.

"Because I like basketball and because Harasawa-sensei specifically asked me to." Aya answered with an amused smile. She wondered whether Satsuki always spoke before thinking, or if it was just a one-time slip.

What an idiot... Aomine facepalmed inwardly.

"O-oh. Sorry I thought..." Satsuki blushed, embarrassed that she, firstly spoke without thinking and secondly jumped into an unfavourable conclusion about Aya. If the coach asked her to join the club, she must have been good at the job.

"Sometimes you shouldn't think, Satsuki." Aomine said lazily.

"Aomine-kun...!" She gasped in surprise, not expecting him to say that.

To everyone's surprise (because the boys were definitely listening by now), Aya just laughed it off. "Don't mind. You are free to think whatever you want 'bout me, we just need to work well together, right?"

"But I want to be your friend too..." Satsuki muttered.

"That's fine by me." Aya grinned. "So? Were you in a basketball club before?"

"Yep, for three years in my middle school, it's not as easy as it might look."

"I guess it's not. So, tell me, what exactly is expected of me? Katsunori didn't really tell me much."

Katsunori...? As in Harasawa Katsunori – sensei ? Satsuki processed this reluctantly, but spoke about their duties to come and her experience and whatnot. They still had some time, and she was glad that Aya was asking questions.

"Aomine-kun will try to ditch practises, so if you are in his class, drag him with you whenever you'll have the chance." Satsuki said seriously, "it's one of your duties."

"Why would he," Aya looked at Aomine, but spoke as if he wasn't even there, "ditch practises?"

"'cause it's boring. And I don't need it." Aomine jumped in, with a wide yawn. "I can't possibly get any better."

"Hmmm... Can't or don't want to?" Aya asked but didn't wait for an answer and turned back to Satsuki, cutting off any answer Aomine might've given. "Attending practises is his responsibility, not mine. I can't practise in his stead, and so, if it's his choice to ditch... I don't care."

I'm off the hook! Aomine's mood lightened up and he smirked. He wouldn't have to deal with Aya's nagging at all. Her question got him unprepared, but he didn't have a reason to bother himself with it. Not when things couldn't possibly turn out better for him.

Satsuki wasn't that happy to hear this; she didn't understand Aya's reasoning. "I don't get it..." She admitted.

"One should know how to face and deal with consequences of one's choices." Aya explained her thoughts; though she wasn't sure it got through. "That's responsibility you have in everything you do, be it grades, be it sports, be it life; no one should make decisions for you. That's how I was brought up at least." She shrugged, as if the last sentence explained everything. "If he decides to not practise, he should be prepared to face the consequence of being defeated at some point."

Satsuki had to ponder this for a moment. If Aya really meant it, she was more mature than she appeared to be. And if she was really brought up like that, she must have been slapped by life several times too. Pretty hard – that's what Satsuki felt after hearing the explanation and closely examining Aya's eyes and expression.

They were silent for a moment, but a moment long enough to notice that the others were talking about them. Whispers among the boys got gradually louder as they thought the girls were preoccupied by talking.

"Are we really gonna have two managers?!" Someone asked.

"How lucky!"

"At least we have managers!"

"They look good."

Satsuki tried to ignore it, but she blushed slightly. Aya just raised an eyebrow at her.

"Ne... Isn't the redhead in our class?" Another pointed out. Aya knew the voice from her class. Kano Hideki, I believe.

"Ah right! She is. Her accent is off though." A boy standing next to him answered.

"Does it matter, Ryuu? You notice unimportant things!"

"Oh? And what is important, mister wise?" His friend mocked him.

"She has exquisite butt and legs, for example."

"Oh my!" Aya reacted to this comment and she turned to face him with an amused grin on her face. "Thank you, Kano-kun! My butt hasn't been called exquisite yet!" She didn't mind those talks too much, she was used to it; in a way. Compared to what she'd already heard, Kano's comment was funny and relatively innocent.

Kano blushed and looked away; mortified that she even remembered his name. Girls were supposed to feel embarrassed or shy, after hearing someone talking about them like that. Kagami completely contradicted his ideas. And not just his. Even Satsuki blinked at her in surprise.

What the...? Aomine thought and stared at his classmate in disbelief.

Kano blinked again. Then something hit him... She teased him back... Then it was... okay? He looked at her, with a grin of his own. "Glad to make you happy, missy." He bowed in a prince like style, to lighten up the suddenly awkward atmosphere.

Aya laughed at his gesture and it helped to completely disperse any weird mood that might have been there. I'll probably have to be careful with my tongue...

"Seriously?" Harasawa strolled in, shaking his head in exasperation. He overheard Aya-Kano's exchange. "You are not in America anymore, Aya. Keep that in mind." He said, looking at Aya with hard eyes.

"Oh, we were just joking. Don't be so grumpy." She said familiarly, smiling at Harasawa with an innocent smile.

"I can remember your definition of 'joking' pretty well, thank you." For some reason he referred to all Kagamis not just Aya, and she understood that much.

"Well, just because you are bad at joking, doesn't mean we all have to be so serious." Aya, on the other hand referred to the entire team of boys who, by now stared curiously between her and their serious coach, suddenly being not so serious.

Harasawa gave her a long unimpressed look. Yeah, he knew he sucked when it came to jokes, he only had his occasional sarcasm. No, he wouldn't argue with Aya about this. "Whatever, Robin, just don't cause me any trouble." He sighed; thinking when would be a good time to regret inviting her into his team.

Oh, I haven't heard that nickname in months... "Can't promise you that." She smirked with a mischievous light in her eyes, which made a chill run down his spine. "By the way... Shouldn't you clear our relationship for them? They seem to jump to very wrong conclusions." She added, noticing confused glances and blushing cheeks of some boys.

As if he could read their thoughts he sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "Okay, I hoped to wait with all introductions, but... This is Kagami Aya." He pointed his arm in Aya's direction and she bowed with a smile. "She is my god-daughter, my niece, my family. I've known this little devil since cradle. And I invited her here as a manager to help me deal with you."

She rolled her eyes, at his notion. That didn't have to be so explicit.

"You have a god-daughter?!" Wakamatsu pointed a finger at him. "You?!"

His grey eyes pierced his overly loud vice-captain. "I don't see anything too weird about that."

"Me neither. He is not as lone-wolfish as he seems to be, Wakamatsu-senpai." She smiled at the blonde, who was now looking at her in confusion – how did she know his name?

Some more questions came up, and after it quieted down, all members assembled in a half circle around the coach. New members sitting in the first row, the others were sitting behind them.

"For all the first years, I'm Harasawa Katsunori – coach of this team." He introduced himself. "Today, I will give you the basic information, the first years will introduce themselves, and then you are free to leave, or practise – if you feel like it. Understood?"

"OSSU!"

He was monotonously explaining what he expected from them and what a usual training regimen of the club was. He didn't care about the bunch of teenagers in front of him, not really. His task was to guide them so they could become better. The results were completely up to them. With Aya there though, he felt more at ease and he was panicking at the same time. She could push them if needed. She could also cause as much trouble. But mainly he hoped she'd miraculously figure out how to handle Aomine, because he didn't think he could do it, and neither did he trust Satsuki with this.

"Now we could go to introductions of the first years. Imayoshi-kun, I leave this up to you." When he was finished with stating all information necessary, he gave the word to the captain of the team.

Imayoshi stood up, followed by a big, almost white haired guy. They went to the coach to face everyone.

"Hello everyone, I'm the captain of this basketball club, Imayoshi Shoichi." He introduced himself and then pointed his hand at the boy standing next to him, "and this is Wakamatsu Kousuke, the vice-captain. If you need anything, you can turn with your questions to us."

"Seems like some psychology club..." Aya muttered so only Aomine could hear and he smirked at her comment. Maybe the redhead wasn't as bad as he had first thought.

After few more words, Imayoshi took the list of applicants and a pen. "I want you to state your name, class and position played or preferred. If you are in a basketball club for the first time, state your reasons and position that interests you."

There was a beat moment of awkward silence, because no one wanted to speak up first.

Aya rolled her eyes and despite the fact that she had already been introduced, she took initiative. "Kagami Aya, class 1-3. It's my premiere in a school club; I am here to be a manager. When I play it is either a point guard or a shooting guard position."

"You play?!" Wakamatsu asked her too loudly again, with his eyes wide. It was starting to be too much, she was a niece of their coach, she played... What else?

"Yeah, is that wrong in any way?"

The vice-captain flushed, and scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "No." He muttered.

Imayoshi smiled at her (she had a good way to shut the blonde up), relieved he didn't have to point at people to make them speak. "Thank you, Kagami-san. Next."

Another beat moment of silence.

"Aomine Daiki, class 1-3, power forward." He rumbled lazily, slightly surprised that he was the tallest one from the bunch of first years.

Whispers broke among the other players, because not everyone knew him, some of them had just heard rumours: "Aomine Daiki?" ... "From the generation of miracles?" ... "The ace of the generation of miracles?" ... "It's him." ... "That Aomine Daiki?"

Aya glanced at him curiously. Aomine just stood there, numb, immovable; he didn't care. He ignored it all.

What is the generation of miracles? She wondered and shot a sharp glare at Katsunori, who ignored it. He hadn't had enough time to explain that to her yet. Or maybe he decided not to bother himself with it.

"Oya~ Welcome, Aomine-kun. I'm glad you decided to join us." Imayoshi said a bit slyly, from which Aya understood they'd already met before. And that the captain was craftier than he appeared to be.

"Next!" He said, this time hoping for an instant reaction.

"Momoi Satsuki, class 1-1, manager." She was next to Aya, so she took initiative next.

Thanks to that, all the other boys got more coordinated, taking turns:

"Ah, sorry. I'm Sakurai Ryou, class 1-3, shooting guard." The boy was relatively short and plain looking – brown hair and big brown eyes, darting around the room. He was playing with his hands and fidgeting nervously, looking almost fragile. Aya, Satsuki and the coach just hoped that this wasn't how he acted on the court.

Another, not that tall player spoke up next. "Hasegawa Akio, class 1-1, point guard." He was more confident, and seemed to be a calm type of a player.

A preferred position of this one was obvious even before he spoke up. "Oyama Isamu, class 1-2, center." Oyama was a bulky, muscular boy, with very short dark hair and thick eyebrows. He appeared rather scary, but his chocolate-brown eyes had a certain gentleness in them, which made him approachable.

"Kano Hideki, class 1-3, small forward. But I only started playing in the second year of junior-high school." The boy was leaner than rest of the boys. His longer hair was a complete mess, held up from his eyes by several hairpins. Aya liked the humorous spark in his greenish eyes.

"That's not a problem." Imayoshi smiled, and looked at the next boy.

"Ishii Ryuu, class 1-3, power forward." He said in a confident voice. Dark hair and eyes he had, gave him an air of mysteriousness and some healthy slyness.

"Naito Shouhei, class 1-5, point guard." Intelligence in his eyes indicated he was probably a good point guard. He didn't stand out much, and Imayoshi had a feeling that this boy would become an official point guard of Touou at some point.

"Arai Souta, class 1-4, shooting guard." The last one was the most ordinary looking guy, with nothing interesting in particular. He looked introverted and too thin to be able to keep up with the rest of the team.

"That's all, I believe." Imayoshi sighed almost sadly. "I've expected more applicants –"

"Oi, what's with this class coordination!" Wakamatsu was staring at the list. 5 out of 10 new attendants were in the class 1-3.

"I'm sorry!" Sakurai bowed deeply, as if it was his fault that majority ended up in the same class. "It's strange, right? I'm so sorry!"

"O-oi... It's not your fault." Wakamatsu said almost apologetically. What was wrong with this first year?

Imayoshi coughed to get back the team's attention. He was already getting tired. "Now, when we are done with the introductions, I have a question for the girls. Which one of you is going to be the first manager?" He looked at them expectantly, half expecting an argument to break out.

Aya turned to Satsuki with a question in her eyes. She still didn't know what exactly her duties were.

"Only one of us can be on the bench during official matches. That's the only difference in the duties." She explained with a smile.

"Oh. Then you do it. You are already used to it, right?" Aya proposed without a second thought. Being on the bench meant being in the spotlight. She didn't want that.

"Well, that was quick. It's decided then. Momoi Satsuki-san will be the official manager of the Touou's basketball team." Imayoshi made the note. From the first impression the girls gave off, he considered Satsuki to be less unpredictable, and thus he was glad it turned out like this.

Harasawa clapped, to stop their talking and ended the assembly: "Now since everything necessary has been said, you can either: stay and get to know each other, or wrap it up. Practises start tomorrow afternoon at three-thirty p.m., be sure to attend."

Without wasting any more second, "Let's go, Satsuki." Aomine said and already started heading towards the exit. "I'm tired."

"Ah... Aomine-kun! Wait!" She called after him, but he didn't stop. "Kagami-chan, I have to go. If there is something interesting, please let me know. Ask my number from the coach, it was on my application form." She said in one breath with an apologetic smile and ran after Aomine.

"And there goes the only other girl." Aya sighed and turned around. She saw some boys taking Aomine's example and leaving immediately. Some, she believed they were second years, took out balls and started playing some three-on-three, or one-on-one, just for fun.

It made her smile.

"Wanna play?" Imayoshi's voice came from behind her and she almost jumped in surprise. Good for her, she managed to play it safe.

"I'd like to, but I was thinking about meeting the other members, Captain. Would you introduce them?"

"It'd be my pleasure, dear second manager~" He smiled at her.

He accentuated 'second manager'. What an ass. Aya thought, and couldn't omit it. "You have a foul personality, right?" She asked bluntly, earning various surprised looks from those who heard her.

Imayoshi's smile froze on his face. How did she...?

"HAHAHAHA!" Wakamatsu laughed when he heard that. "She's read you well, captain!"

"Oya~ what a surprise." Imayoshi voice was still pleasant, but there was a quiet threat there somewhere.

Wakamatsu backed away, paling a bit. Their captain could be scary.

"Honestly, I don't care." Aya spoke up again. "It surprised me a bit, but you seem you know how to handle your team, Captain-san~."

He narrowed his eyes at her, but didn't comment it. Dangerous girl. He thought, when his instincts told him to be wary of Aya.

Introductions went quite well. Some boys were rather shy when Aya eyed them from head to toe, as if judging their worth, because she was most likely doing just that. Other than that, she was friendly, outgoing and smiling at everyone. They liked this cheerful manager. She chatted with those who stayed, while the others played mini games – all in their uniforms, since no one bothered to bring the change of clothes for an assembly meeting.

At some point, when only nine players remained and wanted to play some five-on-five, Aya joined the matches as a substitute point guard for the first years. And to everybody's surprise she wasn't half that bad. Her passes were accurate and easy to catch, and she managed some shots as well.

Players and positions were following:

Team Newbies 1st years – Oyama Isamu (190cm) – Center, Kano Hideki (181cm) – Small forward, Ishii Ryuu (186cm) – Power forward, Sakurai Ryou (175cm) – Shooting guard, Kagami Aya (168cm) – Point guard. Average height = 180 cm.

Team Seniors 2nd and 3rd years – Wakamatsu Kousuke (193cm) – Center, Susa Yoshinori (190cm) – Small forward, Yamaoka Tarou (194cm) – Power forward, Tada Shun (190cm) – Shooting guard (original position: Small forward), Imayoshi Shoichi (180cm) – Point guard. Average height = 189,5cm.

"I didn't think you could actually play." Ishii pointed out.

Despite the fact that their team was composed of only the first years, and their average height was much lower, they weren't too bad. Although, they still lost, but that was to be expected when they went against the Touou's current regulars.

She remembered Ishii from the class, he sat at the back with Kano, and they seemed to be good friends. "You just thought that I'm the one with a weird accent and nice legs, right?" She teased, taking off her sweater. The game went from lazy and slow to something quite high paced, and she was starting to sweat.

"A-ah... Kano said that!" He defended himself, which earned him a glare from Kano.

Aya just laughed at it. "I still have a long way to go to be good." Why am I playing in my uniform? She wondered.

"You are plenty good, Kagami-san. You are just unfortunate to play against me." Imayoshi complimented. She played a point guard, which meant she played against him, and still managed to get passes through, or to outrun him. Some of her moves were street ball, but some were strange and tricky, like he'd never seen on a court before. But it was to her advantage. Her agility was impressive too. However, Imayoshi was just expert at riling people up and when it came to height and strength he was definitely in advantage.

She frowned. "I'm still not good enough. I'm not good against fakes, and I miss a lot."

"It's just the beginning of the year, you'll probably get plenty chances to improve." Imayoshi pointed out. "And since you are not bad, you'll probably play with us more often."

"You don't mind if a girl plays with you?" Aya asked dubiously. She didn't mind playing with boys. For her it was a challenge and an entertainment to play against those who were much stronger and much bigger, but it was probably a nuisance for them, since they had to pay more attention than usual.

After drinking some water she was ready for another round. All the first years seemed pumped up for another match.

"Not at all." Imayoshi chuckled.

"You are not bad." Wakamatsu looked somewhere above her head and scratched his cheek. "True, I have to be more careful not to run you over, but... it's a nice change of pace."

"Are you blushing?" Tada Shun – Wakamatsu's classmate and the best friend – teased.

"HA?! No way! You are imagining things!" He burst out at his friend.

"Pffft." Aya laughed at their antics, slowly starting to like the team. "Why don't we mix teams up for the next match?" She asked. It was given that they weren't done yet.

"Right. We don't want to lose, just because we are shorter!" Kano Hideki exclaimed.

"Hai, hai." Imayoshi had an amused smile on his face. Getting this many interesting first years, and not only Aomine Daiki, was good.

They mixed up, changed positions to make it more interesting and played another game. And then another. Until, it got dark outside.

"I think you should wrap it up." Harasawa said, leaning against the gym door. He wanted to go home a long time ago, but he noticed lights on in his gym and decided to check it out. Curiosity won over his desire for a glass of whisky and a good movie. Surprised to see them playing, he'd watched several mini games.

"All right! Don't forget to stretch when you get home!" Wakamatsu shouted.

Imayoshi glanced at a clock that showed it was almost eight p.m., it was a long time since he'd stayed in the gym for so long. How unusual. He thought, and glanced Aya's way.

She was smiling, wiping her face with a small towel she miraculously fished out of her bag and chatting with Ishii and Kano.

The coach came closer to him. "Don't look so surprised." Harasawa smiled. "That's Aya. You will fall in her pace in no time."

"Oh... I thought you didn't like her, judging by your previous reaction." This was getting interesting. Imayoshi wasn't really fond of poking a bear, but it got him curious.

Harasawa frowned. "That's not completely true. It's not just Aya, all the Kagamis are hard to predict and difficult to handle. When it comes to Robin..." His voice softened at the nickname. "I can't figure her out. I never could. It's pointless to try. You just have to get used to it." The coach said quietly. "Dealing with her, I mean."

"Hmmm..." There was no one Imayoshi couldn't figure out. "Sounds interesting."

They cleaned up the gym, said goodbyes and parted ways. Aya, however, stayed behind. There was so much more she wanted to talk about with Katsunori. After an hour of detailed description of the Touou's basketball style and the regulars and the Generation of miracles, and after lending her around dozen of DVD's from Touou's and Teiko's games, Katsunori offered himself to drive Aya home. He didn't want her to go home alone in the dark. Although he was pretty sure, she could handle herself.

######

Few hours earlier...

"Wait up!" Satsuki called out to Aomine. His legs were too long for her to keep up with.

"Hurry. I wanna be home already." He said in his fed up voice, but stopped to wait for her anyways.

"Gee'," she pouted. "Why couldn't we stay for a little longer?! I wanted to meet them all!" Her managerial part of the personality cried to stay and see how good those guys were, to get to know them and analyze them.

"Y' could've stayed, Satsuki."

No, she couldn't. Leaving him alone to ponder his superiority again wasn't exactly good either. Not that she would tell him that. "I probably should have. At least Kagami-chan stayed behind." She thought back to the red haired girl. "Ne? What do you think about her?" She asked with a genuine interest.

Aomine shrugged. "Nothing much. She'll leave me be which is great." He said what came to his mind after recalling the girl named 'Kagami Aya'. Then he added: "and, she is hot."

Satsuki huffed in annoyance. "I didn't mean it that way. What do you think of her personality, traits..." She was looking at her feet, thinking carefully of the day's events. Observing others was one of her strong points. And she made sure to observe Aya carefully. Something about the way in which Aomine reacted to Aya, the subtle change in his expression whenever she spoke up her mind, made Satsuki think that if there was anyone to shatter Aomine's mask, it was probably Kagami Aya.

Oh, I know that twinkle. He thought not sure if it was a good sign or a bad premonition. "Why do y' want my opinion anyways?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, suspicious about Satsuki's intentions. If she was asking him that, she was about to turn all stones she could to figure out their redheaded second manager.

"Because, despite this entire act of yours." She threw her arms up to show her frustration – something she wouldn't do when the others were around. And even if their friendship was tattered and they didn't speak that much anymore, she had moments when she decided to forget the bad parts, and just talk to him like she'd had usually done. "You are actually quite good at judging people. And whatever you say, you are still my friend, and I want your opinion. Genuine one. Not driven by your hormones."

Aomine let out a long sigh. It wasn't nice what had happened, and he didn't want of it, but it was too late to patch everything up. He had drifted too far away. Still... "She is observant and she reminds me a bit of Kise, unpredictable, but less flashy, less whiny version of Kise. Errr... Maybe flamboyant, rather than flashy and she seems to be a good person."

"Hmmmm... I have the same feeling. I'll try to dig out more about her. Why did coach mentioned America in connection with Kagami-chan, and what is that 'Robin'... Since, you are in the same class with her..." Her voice trailed off and she glanced at Aomine expectantly.

"NO! Not a chance! I'm not gonna spy on her on anything! Got that?"

"Reaaally~?"

A/N: Aaand... that was it for the first chapter. A little bit long, but the story will most likely be moving forward slowly. I'll try to update once a month, and I hope I will finish this (though it might be a long time project). So far, I have several more chapters written - all of them are at least this long.

Let me know what you think and remember, reviews are appreciated, but never necessary.

-S.