Title: Love Hoop: Overdrive

Rating: T

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything!

MizukixTsukiyomi's Notes: Happy Holidays, everyone! It's been a year since the last update and I didn't realize that until a couple of months ago. I truly apologize! I hope this new update makes up for it. Now this chapter doesn't continue the basketball action but the stuff leading to the formation of Vorpol Swords. I'm a little worried about this chapter because I struggled A LOT writing this. It took six months to complete...

But let me address something that completely took me by shock. The first chapter received over 80 reviews! I was so shocked and honestly, honored! I could not believe Love Hoop touched so many hearts and it's the reviews that kept pushing me to write this chapter. So really, THANK YOU EVERYONE!

I am dedicating this story to Michi (joker2113) as it was one of her favorites.

Michi, I want you to know that I will never stop loving you and I miss you. You are greatly missed and needed.

I do hope you all enjoy, and as I wrote this story, they were in my mind the whole time. Please read it with love and understand that this is not a story to send in hate. Please.

Chapter 02: Assembling the Attack

The tension in the office was beginning to suffocate her. It was bad enough Japan was hitting its highest levels of humidity and here she was feeling that same sweat trickling down her back in the well air-conditioned room. The hardened stare across from her had her feeling small - very small.

She messed up. Well, she did not regret it because that Nash of a bastard deserved the verbal beat down, but she knew she messed up. Now she was going to pay the consequences. Continuous tapping of a pen on the dark surface wooden desk made her wonder how long they had been in Sesshomaru's office. Five seconds? Fifteen minutes? An hour? Whatever it was, it felt like an eternity with no escape.

"Do you know what you have caused, miko?"

The former title she once held was used again; at this point she knew she was screwed.

The pen halted between his fingers. "You have caused thousands of dollars to be lost and spent again, miko."

Her lips puckered out as eyes lowered to her lap. Crap.

"Sesshomaru, cut her some slack." Kouga intervened, having been part of the heavy tension from the back of Kagome's seat. "Anyone would have wanted to do what she did. Those bastards deserved a lesson." His brow crooked up, "you know you were pissed, too. They were practically trashing your company, which don't forget," he pointed at the mighty demon, "you are basically paying for their stay here."

Shippou popped out the lollipop between his lips before pointing the candy at the demon across. "You rubbed off on her, Sesshomaru. She even demanded the kids to bow on the floor and commit seppuku."

Kagome's brow twitched, "I didn't say seppuku."

Shippou's head leaned to the left to look at her with a smirk. "It's not a bad idea."

The area between Sesshomaru's brows wrinkled as the conversation with the three lightened. Did they think their punishment was lifted? "As much as this Sesshomaru would have loved to end their lives then and there, in this era of cemented laws, there are restrictions. Professional restrictions," eyes landed on the wolf, "Kouga. Money and reputation were gambled at that very moment."

"Sesshomaru-sama, you weren't going to be taking that were you?!" Kagome barked back.

The former demon lord narrowed his glare on the teen. Perhaps in their old feudal days Nash and his basketball group of idiots would have been gutted on the spot, but as he had mentioned to the three of them, there were laws all of them had to abide to. Even him.

"Miko, you presented Jabberwock with a so-called 'team'. Do enlighten this Sesshomaru with your plan." The tone was all but encouraging. He was pissed and the sarcasm casting over his words only made Kagome give out a sheepish smile.

After Nash had declared his deadline, she was left standing in the middle of the court with the silence cricketing. The only sounds emitting in echo were the laughs of Jabberwock as they walked out of the court and towards their cars. And next thing she knew she had reporters trying to make her cough out her reasonings for the declaration of war she had made. The funny thing was, she did not even know why she had done it. Nash had pissed her off and him spitting on Kasamatsu hand had made her snap.

The next thing she knew, she was being pulled aside by Kasamatsu while Imayoshi tried to pry them off. From there, everything was a blur. She was in a car with Kouga and Shippou, but not after noticing Kouga talking to Kagetora.

All she saw was Kouga shaking his head; Kagetora sighed as he started making a phone call.

A heavy sigh fell from Sesshomaru's lips before opening the drawer to his right. Ruffling through what sounded like paper, the three watched in silence as he placed it on his desk and grabbed one of the black pens engraved with gold lettering. The scribbling echo only had Kagome's eyes move left and right to see if Kouga or Shippou would help fill the silence or at least give her some grace if she was safe or not.

"Kouga."

Raising a brow, the wolf demon walked forward before grabbing the paper from Sesshomaru's hand.

Kagome watched as Kouga read the contents before a smirk laid on his lips. "What? Is that my death sentence?" She asked.

Kouga's eyes widened at her comment. This girl had no filter, did she?

"Kagome."

Her name jolted her back to Sesshomaru with a look of pure shock. He called her by her name? Not miko…

"This Sesshomaru is going to be paying a great deal of money for this extra tournament to take place not just for one team, but two." His eyes narrowed as his fingers laced together and elbows rested on his desk. Lips hid behind his laced fingers as his gold gaze had her straighten her posture on the leather seat. "A team that has not been formed but proclaimed to exist by you. This Sesshomaru does not like to lose-".

"-especially money," Shippou popped the lollipop from his lips again.

Sesshomaru's glare tightened, "and there is a reputation to uphold. Kagome, you have until tomorrow night to have formed a team for the upcoming match, does this Sesshomaru make himself clear? And this Sesshomaru is being lenient giving you that much time. "

Kagome blinked.

Shippou nudged her with his elbow. "Ey~ you're in charge. You'll be part of Tashio Corp."

"As an intern." Kouga held the paper between his index and middle finger showing it was indeed a form of her admittance as an intern into the company.

Kagome blinked again.

"We just need your signature and you will officially be part of the family, Kagome!" Kouga's flashy smile burst out.

"Wait…," Kagome whispered as her eyes widened, "you want me to put a team together!? By tomorrow night?!"

Sesshomaru's stoic expression was untouched by her outburst. "Miko, you claimed it to exist; that's your responsibility."

A beep and red light on his office phone lit up before the male voice on the other side broke the mild tension.

"Sesshomaru-sama, the meeting for this week's match is soon to start. The sponsors have all been directed to the meeting room as you have ordered."

His assistant ended the call, leaving the four of them to stare at Sesshomaru as he stood from his seat.

Watching him grab his phone off the desk and his leather folder and pen, Kagome's mouth dropped before taking a stand herself. "W-Wait, Sesshomaru-sama! I can't be put in charge of something so big! Yes, I opened my mouth, but have Kouga-san or Kagetora-san find the proper athletes for this!"

"Oi, I actually don't want the responsibility." Kouga added from the background.

Kagome watched as Sesshomaru walked past her and towards his double wooden doors. She was beginning to feel her stomach churn with the heavy responsibility she was given. A team? A formal team to debut nationally? Surely he knew better than to leave such a task on the hands of a teenager.

Before opening the door to exit, Sesshomaru looked over his shoulder to see Kagome completely dumbfounded and looking for an escape. "This Sesshomaru was sure the person who had defeated Naraku would find this task nothing. Have I overestimated your capabilities?"

Kagome's eyes widened as she stared at the door slowly closed behind the great demon.

Kouga scratched the back of his neck; Shippou quietly observed Kagome's shoulders drop. Well, Sesshomaru had sparked the fire.

With crossed arms, fingers nervously tapped on his bicep. Kasamatsu grunted as he heard the gigantic clock hanging from the wall above the massive chimney of Tashio Corp's lobby tick. An annoying ticking for sure. Time ticked, and the ticking only made his patience swell with worry. After the match and Kagome's declaration of war, the whole Strky Team was unsure how to process what had happened. Kagome cut in to defend them.

But in the end, she had dragged herself further into a mess that could not be undone. For many reasons.

And one of those reasons was due to the man she was currently speaking with. Kagome was in hot water for sure.

"You think she is in a lot of trouble?" Miyaji asked as he took a seat on one of the single seat couches. "Our sponsor looked pretty ticked off."

"You mean Kouga-san?" Okamura scoffed. "He looked mad for sure, but if you ask me, Kagome-chan really sparked something out there. She mentioned a team…what team could she be talking about?!"

A low hum caught their attention over to their captain as he rubbed his chin and smiled at the ongoing foot traffic outside the window. The former captain of Touou could only chuckle at the thought of Kagome having gone and barked back at Jabberwock. "If we know Kagome-chan and the history we all have with her and basketball, I think we can all use our heads to think of the team she could put together," he eyed his team from the corner of his eyes, "right?"

Kasamatsu's brows furrowed at his question. He had thought the same thing, and he hated to admit it, but it made sense. The team would need some polishing if that were to happen, but there were too many obstacles to go through.

Kasamatsu tilted his head upwards before raising a brow at Imayoshi. "Those idiots aren't going to come together that easily. All of them are stubborn as hell."

Imayoshi nodded before his signature smirk crawled over his lips. "It's her we are talking about, Kasamatsu-kun. You don't think she has power over them?"

Miyaji scoffed while crossing his legs in his seat. "If you ask me, they would crawl if she just demanded it and I would want to see that."

Kasamatsu brow twitched. Did they seriously think those idiots were going to agree to work together again? It was a gamble, and one with a huge risk. If those idiots did not agree to it, Kagome was surely in danger with Jabberwock and the Tashio Corporation.

The ding echoed into the lobby. Heads turned to the direction of the main elevator leading to the main floors of the building. Strky waited in silence as the brass doors opened.

"I'm going to kill you, Kouga."

A burst of laughter escaped the Olympic trainer as he allowed his former feudal comrade to exit the elevator first. "It isn't so bad! And you can use this as experience when you start to work! It's an early internship."

Looking at the wolf with a glare over her shoulder, Kagome's entire expression scowled with a threat. "And how the hell am I supposed to put a team together?"

Shrugging, Kouga walked over to the receptionist and handed her the sheet Sesshomaru had passed to him. "You have a talent for it, Kagome; don't doubt yourself." He winked at her, "I'm sure there are some players in mind already."

Kagome blinked. And just like he had said, images of certain knuckleheads popped in her head.

"Ha!" Kouga snapped his finger at her. "You know exactly who now! You have the talent just like me. We know where talent lies and who can surpass those expectations."

She rolled her eyes in return, leaving Kouga to talk to the receptionist. Her attention shifted over to the right only to blink at the sight of Strky staring back at her. Ah.

'Crap…'. She bit her bottom lip. 'I forgot they are involved in this, too.' Had she stepped too far having come to defend Kasamatsu? It pissed her off to no end when Nash spit on Kasamatsu's hand and she was ready to burst physical damage, but she restrained herself.

And yes, she restrained herself.

Kasamatsu's expression hardened slightly before taking the steps necessary to stand before her. Noticing her eyes slowly lower to his shoes, he felt a twist in his stomach. What happened inside Sesshomaru's office? This was the girl who had told him and the Generation of Miracles, along with Seirin, she had battled large and strong demons and came face-to-face with death multiple times. Of course, going against Nash would have not stirred her in the slightest, but this was a modern era where even a fraction of a glare could make someone twitch. Nash had practically caged her in with his stare alone. Everyone caught it.

Finally looking up, Kagome's lips puckered out as she raised a brow. "I'm alive."

Kasamatsu could not help but let a chuckle free. "I'm glad."

Kagome relaxed, "guess I started a fire, didn't I?"

"You started a war, Kagome-chan."

Leaning to the side, Kagome blinked noticing Imayoshi making his way towards them. "He was asking for it! I wasn't going to let him walk away just like that-uh…!" Eyes flickered and words died the moment Imayoshi leaned down to be eye-to-eye. Kagome's lip twitched noticing the smirk on his lips.

"Do you realize the war you started? This isn't about basketball, sweetie. You were on national television." Imayoshi chuckle upon reading her confusion.

She raised a brow. "So…?"

"A lot of people were watching you declare war on Jabberwock, and a lot of people watched Jabberwock place the end price. I'm sure a certain group wouldn't be too happy to have heard that."

Kagome blinked again. Group?

"Alrighty then!" Swiping a black folder in between Imayoshi and Kagome, Kouga gave the team a nod. "I'm sure she will figure it out. It's only a matter of time before they start giving her calls and texts."

Kagome's confusion shifted over to the wolf before realization struck. Wait…they didn't mean…? "Crap!" She gasped and quickly clamped her hand over her mouth as her wide eyes stared at the floor. She was screwed!

"Ah, she got it?" Miyaji asked from the couch.

Imayoshi chuckled under his breath as he crossed his arms. "Oh she got it."

Before any of them could ask if she was okay, a vibrating sound was heard from her jacket's pocket. Kagome's brow twitched as she dug her phone out and noticed a text from Kuroko. "Shit."

"Kagome-chan!" Kouga placed his hand over his chest. "Language!"

Kagome's eyes dilated the moment her phone began to flood due to the group chat she should have left a long time ago.

Now she was screwed.

When was the last time she felt this small? Even with the tallest basketball players she had met in her high school career, she had never felt tiny. But now with glares being darted left and right all day, she was starting to shrink. It did not help the stare before her was also stopping her from taking a bite of her hamburger.

"Stop staring at me like that, Kagami-kun." She huffed from across the table. "I want to eat in peace."

"You have a lot of nerve to be saying nothing regarding that match, Kagome." The Seirin ace replied as he lowered the straw of his coke down from his lips.

"What do you want me to tell you?" Kagome questioned. "You saw what happened, right? That's all you need to know."

"The hell that is all we need to know!" He slammed his cup down on the table, earning himself stares inside Maji Burger.

Observing their talk as a third-wheel, Kuroko sighed as he lowered his vanilla milkshake from his lips. "Kagami-kun, calm down. You're disturbing those around us."

Kagami sank further in his seat as he grabbed a fry from his tray and plopped it in his mouth. "The hell do I care?! This girl got the whole country's attention! You went head-to-head against Jabberwock's captain and made a bet. A bet, Kagome! The hell were thinking?!"

She munched and stared back with a mild glare. After receiving Kuroko's text, it had asked her to meet them at Maji Burger. Of course she knew it was going to come with an interrogation. The questioning was going to drag on for days, that much she could predict. "What else was I supposed to do, hm?" She questioned. "Don't tell me you didn't get angry watching Nash and they put our seniors down? They were practically disrespect all of Japan. I don't know about you, but my blood was boiling to a point of explosion, Kagami-kun."

Kagami scoffed back, "explosion, she says. You did explode."

"I was angry, too." Kuroko added.

"Forget it," Kagami pointed at the phantom member, "you would have done the same thing as her!"

"Of course." He nodded back.

"At least someone is on my side." Kagome glared at the tiger.

Kuroko stared at the former priestess, "no, I am saying I got angry, but Kagome-chan…you made us worry."

Kagome paused mid-way from biting into her burger.

"And it isn't just us two." Kuroko sighed as he took out his phone to show the group chat with the 'kinder' Kagome recognized. "You are reading them, right?"

Guilt was beginning to seep into her.

Kuroko's stare softened on the girl as he lowered his milkshake back on his tray. "I think out of everyone present during the game you could have captured what kind of person Nash-san is, right?"

Kagami's brow crooked up, "-san? Yet you use that formality?"

"You read his aura, right?" Kuroko asked. They could never forget the truth Kagome entrusted on them about her past and the connection she had with Sesshomaru and the others, but at the end of the day, she was perceived normal. At least to outsiders. And that was what Nash assumed of her. He targeted her thinking she would shiver away from him, but the moment Seirin witnessed her declaration of war against him, they all knew it was starting to spark danger. He could only imagine what the other teams had felt the moment she replied to Nash's words.

Kagome sighed as her eyes broke away from his concerned gaze. "Yeah…". And that was no lie. She had felt Nash's aura trying to cower her away.

"Well," Kagami huffed, "the damage has been made; there's nothing you can do about it now, right? Did Sesshomaru or Kouga tell you something after that?"

Her eyes lolled at the memory of Sesshomaru laying the heavy responsibility on her shoulders. "Yeah…".

"What is this 'team' you declared to have?" Kagami questioned. "You have one, right?"

Eyes landed on him.

Grabbing a fry, she pointed it at the tiger before replying. "Good question."

The two watched as she bit into the fry.

Kagami's brow twitched before slamming a fist on the table. "You claimed to have a team to Jabberwock and you really don't have one?! Kouga doesn't even have one?!"

"It was a bluff…?" Kuroko was dumbfounded. He honestly thought Kouga or Sesshomaru would have backed her up on the claim and had a team set up, but Kagome had delivered an empty threat.

"Like heck I would have a team prepared! I thought maybe Kouga would have something set up, you know?!" Kagome snapped back. She was just as lost as them. Slumping back in her seat, she pouted. "Sesshomaru-sama left me with the responsibility to set up a team by tomorrow night."

"Set up a team?" Kuroko blinked. "Do you have anyone in mind?"

Staring at the two basketball players waiting for her answer, she bit her bottom lip. She did have people in mind but bringing them together could pose a challenge. "Actually, I was wondering if you two could stop by my house tomorrow night?"

The two blinked back.

A ring from Kagami's pocket pulled them out of their stares. Digging into his pocket, Kagami's brows furrowed the moment he saw the name on the screen. "I…gotta take this, sorry."

"Yeah, no worries." Kagome nodded with a smile. Watching Kagami stand up from his seat and walk towards the exit, both Kagome and Kuroko remained silent the moment they heard Kagami answer the phone call in English.

The priestess's brows furrowed upon reading a spike in Kagami's aura as he was seen harboring a concerned expression.

"Are you okay, Kagome-chan?" Kuroko whispered.

Turning her focus back on the phantom player, she replied with a gentle smile. "I am, but…," her head turned to the window to see Kagami's fingers curling into his palm, "I'm worried at the same time."

Kagome pouted as she continued to tap the end of her pencil on the tip of her nose. No matter how many times she stared at the lines of her notebook, nothing was appearing. Or more so nothing was being written on the blank paper. Her eyes hovered over to her phone. A heavy sigh puffed out of her lips as she leaned back into her desk's chair. She had been sitting in the same position for an hour with the same blunder of thoughts.

She glared at the page before her. 'A team…'. Before coming home, Kuroko had advised her to think about the dynamics of the team. He made a good point she was able to see Jabberwock's play and methods enough for data. But – her eyes narrowed thinly – it still irked her. Did she really want them? There was no telling what kind of provocation would be made. And there was no telling what her team would say or do if they confronted a person like Nash.

Her phone lit up; eyes landed on the incoming messages.

Speak of the devil.

Hesitant to pick up the phone, she noticed it was the Kinder Group chat. One message after the other – nonstop. What…was going on? Her brow twitched in return seeing the last message by certain Kaijou ace.

From Blonde Baka (9:05 PM) – KAGOMECCHI! ANSWER, PLEASE! I, for one, REJECT THE IDEA OF YOU GOING ON A DATE WITH THAT GUY!

From Green Baka (9:07 PM) – She doesn't have to unless she wins, baka.

From Blue Aho (9:07 PM) – Well looks like she is gonna have to go. She doesn't have a team. Oi, Neko-chan, you got yourself in a mess, didn't cha?

Her brow twitched again. That bastard.

From Blonde Baka (9:09 PM) – I won't allow it! I'll play if I have to!

Kagome's shoulders dropped as she saw Kise's message before the others in the group chat, minus Akashi and Kuroko replied. Both sides of the coin saying he was crazy about going against Jabberwock. But was he really?

Wrinkles appeared between her brows; she had the same idea.

Finally grabbing her phone into her hands, Kagome began to type.

From Kagome (9:12 PM) – we will talk about this tomorrow at my house at 6pm. Don't be late, bakas!

From Purple Giant (9:13 PM) – I'll bring the snacks.

From Tiger (9:13 PM) – You aren't even in Tokyo, Murasakibara?!

From Purple Giant (9:14 PM) - …you right.

From Kuroko-kun (9:14 PM) – We will be there, Kagome-chan. Get some rest.

From Green Baka (9:15 PM) – You better hope your horoscope is well lined in luck, Higurashi.

From Blue Aho (9:15 PM) – Do we have to?

From Blonde Baka (9:16 PM) – We will be there, Kagomecchi!

She blinked. Was she really sure about this?

From Red Emperor (9:19 PM) – I will be there, Higurashi-san.

Kagome blinked again as she re-read Akashi's message. Wait, he was in the area? Swiping to send him a private message, she quickly typed out her question.

From Kagome (9:23 PM) – Akashi-kun, are you in Tokyo…?

She waited. If he was in Tokyo, then perhaps he could-?

From Red Emperor (9:26 PM) – I am. I will be here a couple of days to accompany my father on business.

Her eyes sparkled with hope as her fingers began to type out another message.

From Kagome (9:28 PM) – Are you perhaps free around lunch tomorrow? I…I'm afraid I need your help…

She sent it with a praying hands emoji. Hopefully the emoji was enough to make him accept. Her breathing halted for a second the moment she noticed he was typing back. Would he accept? He could easily reject and say it was her problem. No one else was obligated to help her with the issue.

From Red Emperor (9:30 PM) – Of course. How does 12:30 PM sound? I can send you the place where we can meet.

Relief graced her. He accepted! Although, she wondered, if he had stayed behind in Tokyo after the Inter High tournaments. Did that mean he had seen Jabberwock's match? Either way, she was sure going to be getting an earful tomorrow night from a whole team she was hoping would accept her request.

Raising the delicate teacup to his lips, Akashi closed his eyes letting the aroma of his jasmine tea warm his senses. The heavy curtain of rain only partnered it better with his tea. Looking out the window to his right, he watched as people adorned the view with different patterned umbrellas while other ran for shelter. He lowered his cup of tea on the small plate. He only hoped Kagome would not have trouble finding the place.

The light bell at the door of the café rung; Akashi's attention glided over to the entrance. He blinked watching the female teen shaking the droplets of water off her navy-blue umbrella before being taken back by the staff member taking it for her with a smile. Akashi smiled observing the girl shyly speak with the host before she became speechless and awed by the café itself. He had picked the place knowing she would comment about the fanciness of it, but it was exactly why he picked it. After all, it was not every day he could have alone time with the girl who had caught his interest.

He waited for the female host to walk her over to him; he took another sip of his tea.

"Akashi-kun!" She greeted breathlessly.

The said emperor lowered the teacup from his lips before turning to her. "Good afternoon, Higurashi-san. I hope you didn't have trouble finding the café."

Kagome's lips parted to speak only to see the host was waiting for her to sit on the chair across Akashi's. "O-Oh, sorry!" Giving the host a small bow, Kagome sat on the seat before feeling herself being pushed closer to the circular surfaced table.

"What would you like to drink, miss?" The host asked. "I'll have one of the waiters come."

"U-Um…chamomile tea?" She requested.

She had been hesitant to enter the luxurious place. The café was part of the five-star hotel she did not even dare to look at in the center of Tokyo. Why the hell did Akashi invite her here? Her denim pants and plain black shirt were not going to blend her into the café with those who shined money.

She gave Akashi a deadpan look. "I would have been just fine with Maji Burger, Akashi-kun…this is too much."

"I remember that next time and take you there." He smiled.

Kagome blinked. Huh? Wait, what did he mean by that-?

"I take we are going to talk about what happened yesterday, correct?"

The priestess pressed her lips together. He beat her to it. Looking down at the table, Kagome was unsure how to start the conversation, let alone make her request.

Akashi sighed, watching as the waiter carefully placed Kagome's cup of tea in front of her along with a small glass see-through pot. He waited to regain privacy before continuing their talk. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't surprised to see you on national television, let alone," he grabbed his teacup, "make a deal with such a devil. I figured you would know better with your experience dealing with us."

She scoffed back, "it's me we are talking about." At this point, she figured everyone should know how rash she could be. Yes, there were times she would think rationally, but when fumed she was going to explode.

And without warning.

Grabbing her own cup of tea, she softly blew over the surface to cool it down.

"I am sure you got yourself wrapped in a bigger mess afterwards." Akashi chuckled, revealing a rare smile only Kagome had seen towards the end of their first year. "I take it Tashio Corporation is in a rush to arrange the things you promised?"

Kagome groaned at the memory in the office with Sesshomaru. She felt like she had sold her life away to the company.

"So," Akashi fished her out of her inner turmoil, "what did you want to talk to me about, Higurashi-san? It's rare to hear Seirin's strong-minded manager to be requesting the help of a former Generation of Miracles, let alone help at all."

Kagome pouted; eyes lowered onto the chamomile tea sitting in the glass pot. Pieces of the flower slowly traveling around as ripples of the steam pushed them. "I…need a team."

The emperor of the court raised a brow.

"I mean…I kind of know who I want, but they are troublesome. So, I believe it's going to become a problem to get them to agree."

He listened patiently.

Her eyes traveled from the tea pot to her own cup before staring at an empty spot on the table. "I think you have an idea who I am talking about." Her eyes traveled upwards to see him smiling. Was he smiling out of sarcasm or possibly enjoying she was in rut?

Akashi sighed, "I do believe I know who you have in mind. I did see Jabberwock's match, and although I do hold a sense of pride on my skill and those of my former members, Jabberwock is a different level."

"I still believe you guys could do it!" She cut in, catching him off guard.

He blinked back.

Toning down her tone, Kagome slumped back into her chair. "I…I don't know you all well, but I think we all went through a lot last year with the tournament. We learned a lot from each other, and it sprouted a second chance. I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy my first year doing what I do now. It was a challenge, but I enjoyed it nonetheless." Her stare hardened on the Rakuzan captain. "I do think the Generation of Miracles, Kagami-kun, and Kuroko-kun are the ones who can show Jabberwock we ae not to be taken lightly."

Akashi stared at the girl before him, waiting for her words to sink. The corner of his lips pulled upwards. "That being said…," he spoke, "I think you don't need my assistance getting them together. I believe you're the right person for the job."

"Huh?" She blinked.

"Those boys would surely agree with your request. I think aside from the fact we all felt the same rage in the air after hearing Nash's words, your words were far stronger and struck something in all of us." He grabbed his cup of tea, "just like you did in last year's Winter Cup." And that was no lie. He was a witness to the effect Kagome had in all his former teammates and new ones. It had cleansed the lingering suffocating auras in all of them.

Kagome's face twisted with uncertainty. "I don't think you understand how difficult it is for all of them to listen."

"You don't think I would understand?" He questioned with amusement. Akashi chuckled, "you're talking to their former captain, Higurashi-san."

The corner of her lips twitched. He was right. Crap.

"What exactly did you have in mind then?" Akashi was curious to hear her game plan. This was not just some ordinary high school tournament, and he knew she was fully aware of it. He did not need to read auras to know she was being drowned by waters of stress.

"I was planning on telling everyone to come over to my house later tonight. I only have until the end of today to get a team together…".

Akashi nodded. That was right. She only had nine days before the official rematch. He had no doubt she could get everyone together, but the real question was if they could do well against Jabberwock. He would not admit it to Kagome, but he had analyzed Nash's and his team's movements and tactics. Not everything could be read. That meant playing face-to-face would prove to be problematic. He grabbed his tea cup once again; he would not add to her worries with that cautious thought.

"I will be present."

A layer of hope glowed on Kagome's eyes as she heard Akashi. "Really?"

He nodded again. "Although I do believe it is best you make the calls."

She groaned, "I knew you were going to say that…". And she believed Akashi could have done it for her. Despite what others believed, perhaps she could get everyone to come to her house, but it all came down to them agreeing. She would admit to herself the moment she declared war on Jabberwock, she pictured the Generation of Miracles, Kagami, and Kuroko. As corny as it was to think about, she could not picture anyone else to do the job.

She had faith in them.

Kagome rolled her eyes, 'like hell I'm going to admit that to them.'

"Just text me the time; I should be free later in the day." Setting his cup of tea back on the small round plate, Akashi sent her a soft smile. "Although, I got to admit…".

Her focus perked towards him.

"…I wasn't very amused with the conditions that were made with Jabberwock."

She blinked.

"A date?" Akashi's brow crooked up. "That's quiet a heavy price, Higurashi-san."

Kagome pouted as she raised her cup of tea. "It won't happen."

It was the emperor's turn to blink. "What do you mean?"

Taking a small sip of her chamomile tea, Kagome's eyes met Akashi's. Lowering the cup back down, she delivered a smile of her own. "I have faith."

Taken back by her words, Akashi was left watching the girl continue to sip on her tea. Her compliments of the tea and place dried off in his ears as the word 'faith' echoed in his head. It was silly to think this girl had faith in members who had first tried to intimidate her and underestimated her. He had been one of them. He scoffed with a gentle smile.

"What?" Her eyes flickered back to him.

"Nothing," he raised his cup once more, "nothing at all."

If he had faith in them, then they would just have to deliver with that faith.

Sighing tiredly, Kagome pressed the 'end call' button on her phone screen. Annoyance loomed over her face as she stared at the name. Kagome huffed as she placed her phone on the coffee table before looking down at the names written on a paper. The annoyance on her expression remained as she crossed off the last name on her list.

'Stupid Murasakibara-kun. I know he is the farthest one from us and it's definitely late notice,' she roughly set her pencil down, 'but he didn't have to say it was a pain to listen to her request.' She was asking for a lot, that she knew. For him to come down to Tokyo all the way from Akita was definitely a stretch, especially last minute and over a petty match.

All snacks and drinks were prepared in her living room and it was only five minutes before the meeting with her 'team' would begin. She was not surprised they agreed to coming over, but she knew the challenge lingered in the convincing phase.

"I seriously don't know why you decided to make this 'deal', Kagome."

Kagome turned to face the Seirin ace sitting across from her and taking a bite from his rice cracker. "Neither do I."

"Then what the hell were you thinking?!" Kagami exclaimed. This girl could start a fire anywhere even in rain! "You really don't have a game plan, do you?"

She huffed before sending him a threatening glare.

"Kagami-kun," Kuroko called out, lowering his cup of tea on the coffee table, "we should have faith in Kagome-chan. I'm sure she will come up with something."

Kagome sighed, "you have too much faith in me. I have some sort of plan, but it's the next part that has me a little worried." Her eyes dropped onto the list of names she had called beforehand. Most of them agreed, but there was the problem of getting a center player. "It's convincing them."

"The Generation of Miracles were never easy to speak to, but they will come around." Kuroko caught the priestess's attention. "I'm sure they will listen and be considerate. As basketball players, they have their pride, too. I'm sure all of them were in their own rage when they witnessed Jabberwock's and Strky's match."

That was true. Kagome sighed once more looking at all the names of the miracles. Even if they all agreed, then it was the match they had to worry about next. She dropped her forehead down first onto the coffee table. The overthinking was beginning to pulse some headaches.

"Murasakibara said it was pain, huh?" Kagami scoffed. "That's just him acting tough."

"I want to drag him here." Kagome's voice muffled onto the surface of the table, "and then kick his ass for saying that."

Kagami blinked, taken back by her aggression; Kuroko tilted his head to the side.

"I'm sure Murasakibara-kun will be convinced one way or another." Kuroko reassured her.

Kagome's lips puckered out into a pout as she saw the snacks lowering in volume as Kagami continued with his snacking. Perhaps Akashi could convince him? He was known to listen to him the most out of all of them. But then that just meant pestering Akashi even more for his help.

Looking over at the clock on the wall of Kagome's living room, Kuroko noticed the minute hand past their meeting time. "They should be coming in soon."

"Should be." Kagome repeated, straightening out her sitting position. "Those miracles sure know how to keep the people waiting, don't they?"

"Are they all coming!?"

Kagome turned her head to the right to see her excited brother staring at the door to their home. Her shoulders dropped feeling his excitement fill the room. "Souta…we are going to be having an important talk here. They aren't here to just hang out."

"Come on!" He whined, turning his head to her. "You rarely have people over! And this is the Generation of Miracles we are talking about!"

Kagome's brow twitched. Since when were they treated like celebrities? "Souta, I mean it. This is serious business."

"But I just want to see them!" Souta pouted as he came to stare at the door once again. "My friends don't believe me that you're close with them."

Kagome sighed watching the excitement radiate off her brother. Seriously, since when was he a big fan of them? It was true that she rarely brought people over, but most of her time was rooted in school with studying and the basketball club. Coming home was to rest and find her peace. Looking at Souta bit his lip, she rolled her eyes at his 'fan-boying'. What ever happened to soccer?

"Oi!" Kagami called out to him. "Aren't we popular? We did beat them last year!"

"Yeah~," Souta nodded, hooking his fingers under his chin, "but this year's Inter High was pretty, wasn't?"

A vein popped on Kagami's forehead, "I see you got your sister's snarky comments-oomf!" Placing his hand over the side of his head, he whipped his view over to the priestess. "What the hell, Kagome?!"

"Watch it." She warned. The last thing she needed was for Kagami to get riled up over Seirin's recent loss in the Inter High. Standing from the cushion on the floor, Kagome's head snapped the moment she heard a doorbell ring.

"Ah!" Souta looked at his older sister with wide eyes. "They are here!"

She straightened out her hoodie, "then go open the door, fanboy." She had to hold back a chuckle watching her brother's feet scramble back and forth, forgetting how to answer the door. She honestly had no idea the kinder had this effect on him.

"Behave, Kagami-kun." Kuroko spoke, turning his attention on the tiger.

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?!" He shouted back.

Exhaling, Kagome straightened out a few of the pillows on the couches and the cushions around the coffee table before hearing the door open.

"Oi."

Kagome blinked, recognizing the heavy and tired tone.

"You're Neko-chan's little brother, huh?"

Kagome's eyes narrowed at the empty space leading to the door. Aomine.

"Woah! You're Touou's ace!" Souta shouted.

"Eh~, it's Kagomecchi's little brother, Soutacchi, correct?" Kise popped from behind Aomine.

Souta's eyes glowed with fascination as he watched each of the Generation of Miracles coming in until he noticed the tallest of the bunch crouched down under the door frame before finally showing his full height. Souta's eyes trailed his form as his mouth fell in awe. "I never believe onee-san when she says you're tall, Murasakibara-san!"

Kagome blinked as she turned her head to face Kuroko and Kagami. Murasakibara? Both also holding confusion.

"Wait, Murasakibara?" Kagami repeated. "He's here? I thought you called him…?"

Walking over to end of the living room, Kagome popped her head to the side to see all the Generation of Miracles present, including Murasakibara. Wait, why was he here? He had said it was a pain! Confusion loomed over Kagome's expression, completely blank to Aomine walking over to stand in front of her.

"Oi, Neko-chan." He called out.

"H-Huh…?" She blinked out of her daze. Looking up, she noticed the mild glare on his eyes. "W-What? You have a problem already?"

"You bet I do, woman." He immediately replied, taking her back.

She met his glare with one of her own. She was not oblivious enough to know they were all ready to lecture her. They had been waiting for it, especially since she ignored their hundreds of texts that day, she had declared war against Nash.

Aomine turned his head towards the entrance of the living room to see Kagami and Kuroko already in their seats on the floor. "Ah, I see they beat us here to it- oi! Kagami! You ate all the freaking snacks already?!"

"You guys are late!" Kagami glared back. "Don't blame me!"

"Who else do I freaking blame then?!" Aomine growled seeing the half-eaten bowl of rice crackers.

"You, you dumbass!"

Kagome's brow twitched, "just go take a seat, Ahomine; I'll listen to the lecture later." She sighed, heavily. Kagome blinked, noticing the green haired male walking in with a camera sitting on his right palm.

Another sigh blew between her lips. "Do you happen to know what my luck is today, Midorima-kun?"

The said male pushed his glasses in. "This camera is for you."

"Huh?" She blinked. Taking into her hands, she tilted her head to the side. "Why for me?"

"Your luck score today was the lowest. It's been like that for two days consecutively."

Kagome's eyes widened as she watched Midorima take out his own item from his pocket: a USB. She raised a brow watching him walk over to make room for the rest of the group. Turning her head to the genkan of her home, she watched as Murasakibara greeted her with a stoic expression.

"Why are you here?" She questioned; a bit harsher than she intended.

"Gome-chin was the one begging for me to come right?" He raised a brow at her before sticking a stick of pocky into his mouth.

Her expression hung with confusion. "I wasn't begging! I was asking! And you said it was all a pain!" Which she understood completely! Kagome was left with her mouth open as Murasakibara continued to walk past her.

Murasakibara turned his head left and right, "where are the snacks, Gome-chin?"

"Atsushi, please remember you're in another person's home; be respectful."

Kagome blinked, head turning over her shoulder to see the former captain of the miracles standing with a smile. The priestess's shoulders untensed noticing him enter her home and taking off his shoes. "Akashi-kun…you…brought him here?"

"Took a little bit of convincing." He smiled. "I told him you promised him a feast after the match."

"A-A what?" She was perplexed. "A feast?!"

He simply nodded back, ignoring her dumbfounded look. She glared at his back, following him into the living room. "I hope this is coming out your pocket, Akashi-kun." Of course, Murasakibara would only listen to him. That's why she had insisted he had made the calls first before having to call all of them herself. Her eyes took in the sight of all of them getting comfortable in her living room. A sight she had not seen since she had confessed her past to them and the others (minus Akashi). A small glimmer of joy resonated within her seeing them interact civilly in their own way. After Seirin's win against Rakuzan and Kuroko's birthday, a new friendship between them all had blossomed. Something she would not admit so easily to them because it would only inflate their egos, at least she knew whose. But the biggest smile of them all was the one Kuroko carried. Kuroko was the happiest of them all, and she could tell. His aura glowed with delight. Out of them all, this is something he truly missed.

"Ara, ara."

Heads turned to the direction of the kitchen.

"Kagome, you really did invite them all?" Kagome's mother asked with a chuckle.

Kagome rolled her eyes, "yeah, invited the whole kindergarten here."

"Kindergarten?!" Kise exclaimed, pointing at himself. "Are you talking about us?"

"Do you see any other immature people in here?" Aomine questioned as he reached for a rice cracker.

"Are you admitting you're immature, Aomine?" Midorima glared from behind him as he straightened himself on the couch.

Aomine looked over his shoulder, "I'll admit it. I have no shame."

"You should have shame." Kagome blinked with annoyance.

"Gome-okaasan? Do you have any sweets?" Murasakibara asked, tilting his head back on the couch to see Kagome's mother smiling at him.

"Oi!" Kagome scolded. "Who the heck are you calling okaa-san?!"

"Your okaa-san." He stated right away.

Kagome's brow twitched; they really wanted to piss her off right off the bat, huh?

"Of course I have more snacks." Kagome's mother spoke.

Akashi turned his head to her, "thank you very much, Higurashi-san. Thank you for welcoming us into your home."

"Oh!" She waved her hand up and down, "Kagome here rarely has her friends over. It's a pleasure to see all of you here to bring some life into the house and into her life, as well. You are all welcomed here whenever!"

"Thank you very much, Higurashi-san." Kuroko bowed with his head. "We will be sure to visit more often."

"You can count me in!" Kise raised his arm. "If it means to see Kagomecchi more often!"

Midorima huffed as he pushed his glasses in. "If so, then I will be sure to bring more lucky items to the Higurashi household. With Higurashi around, they would need it."

Hearing her mother laugh as she walked away, Kagome's eyes silently followed her out of the living room to prepare the tea. Leave it to her mother to be inviting everyone. Walking into the living room herself, Kagome placed the camera she had been given onto the coffee table. She glared at Aomine's long legs blocking her path. Giving him a light kick – and ignoring his grunt – she tipped over his legs before making it back to her original cushion near the coffee table.

"So?" Aomine raised a brow at her. "Why exactly did you get us all together here?"

"Honestly, I was a bit surprised you were getting us all together." Kise added. He tilted his head to the side as he came to sit on the single seater couch. "I was worried how you were doing after…um." Should he say it out loud? Was he allowed to? He looked at his former teammates and the Seirin players for help.

"…after speaking with Nash-san." Kuroko finished.

The living room became cloaked in silence as all eyes landed back on Kagome.

Stopping herself from tapping the edge of her pencil on her notebook, Kagome gulped. "You all saw that, huh?" She let out a nervous chuckle.

"Higurashi," Midorima spoke out with annoyance, "all of Japan saw it. Your 'little' declaration of war against Jabberwock was seen on national television. You don't think we became witnesses?"

She shrugged back, "I just thought maybe you guys missed the match, you know?"

A sweat drop loomed over their heads. 'She's playing innocent!'

"Kagome-chan," Kuroko fished her out of her smile, "you told Nash-san you had a team to go against him. I…," he paused, "take it you had us in mind?"

Kagome fell silent once more as she stared at Kuroko's seriousness. Looking at everyone else waiting for her answer, she then noticed Akashi being the only one giving her an encouraging smile. It was now or never. Taking in a deep breath in, Kagome's fingers tightly grasped the pencil in her hand.

"Yes."

No response. No sound. Nothing but eyes glued on her. She waited patiently for something.

Anything from them.

"Look, I'll admit it was selfish of me to cross that boundary and speak for all of you, but…," the skin between her brows wrinkled as the memory of Nash spitting on Kasamatsu's hand flashed in her head, "…I was pissed."

The boys remained silent.

Kagome's hold on the pencil tightened as her eyes came to stare at the scribbles she made on her notebook. Scribbles of doubt, anxiety, and anchored anger. Things she had felt since…

"I know it's silly…," she voiced lowly, "but I'm angry for my senpais. I'm angry for all of the Japanese people who were insulted. I'm angry."

Kuroko's shoulders dropped watching as Kagome gently let the pencil drop on her notebook. They had seen her angry before, but to the level they were seeing her now…it was nothing before. To outsiders, the rematch was an exciting thing. Something to look forward to. But Kagome was putting a lot at stake. A lot. She was carrying the rage of everyone who knew Strky. The rage of those who were heavily tormented by Nash's words.

Kagome was carrying it all for them.

"And we feel the same way, Higurashi-san."

Kagome's head snapped up, seeing Akashi still harboring a smile. A gentler smile.

"Even if you hadn't spoke to us, I am sure we would have come together."

Kagome's eyes widened slightly.

"Akashicchi is right!" Kise's charming smile beamed before his eyes narrowed on her. "My team…held a lot of rage for Kasamatsu-senpai…".

Kagom's lips parted. That's right…his senpai. Out of all of them, Kise and Kaijou had felt themselves boil at the sight on the television.

"…Kasamatsu-senpai would probably have told us to let it go," Kise continued, "but we basketball players have pride, too, you know?"

Midorima exhaled as he rested his elbows over his knees. "Breaking the sportsmanship code would anger just anybody. Only true players of the sports could sense and follow that." His eyes met the priestess's. "You felt it, too."

Was…he being sympathetic? Treating her as an equal on the court? Kagome slowly felt a wave of relief being washed away as she heard the boys speak one by one.

"Ma~," Murasakibara's tone dragged lazily, "it is really a pain to deal with them, but for some reason, they got me angry that day."

"They did?" Kise questioned with curiosity. "That's rare, Murasakibaracchi!"

Turning his head over to his manager, Kagami sighed. "I still think you went ahead without thinking, actually, I think I speak for everyone here, that you did something that had us fuming even more."

Kagome blinked, perplexed by his drop in tone and the seriousness he held.

"But…we do back you up."

She held back the tears, "guys…".

Aomine groaned, running his fingers through his hair. "Sheesh, so she opens her big mouth to fight him and drags us with her?" He gave her a mild glare as he pointed a rice cracker at her. "So if we lose, it's not me who has to go on a date with that bastard, right?"

And~ the moment died; Kagome's brow twitched. "Glad you're being positive about it, Aomine-kun."

"I think that answers your question." Akashi spoke out.

Kagome turned her focus back on the emperor sitting across from her.

"We will become your team, Higurashi-san."

Her relief fluttered as she felt joy illuminate her expression. "R-Really?!" She leaned forward, not believing all of them had agreed so easily. She took another look at the group before falling back down onto the cushion. Shoulders dropped as all the tension she carried was pulled away. They…agreed. Closing her eyes, Kagome's head dropped for a bow. "T-Thank you! Really! Thank you, you guys!"

A smile stretched on Kuroko's lips, "no need to thank you, Kagome-chan. We want to do it. We want to play together and help you prove Jabberwock was wrong to say the things they did."

"Then that does it." Akashi continued, "we will meet tomorrow morning. If we are to be following the 'contract' Nash and Higurashi-san made, then there are only eight days left before the match. We will need every day to be used for practice."

Aomine raised a brow at his former captain. "Who made you captain? Shouldn't that be up to Neko-chan over there?" He pointed with his thumb.

At this, Kagome lifted her head.

"Oh?" Akashi smirked back. "Would you like to take the challenge, Daiki?"

Irked by the smirk he delivered, Aomine rolled his eyes. "Nah, too much work. I could never handle this group. I don't even know why you guys can't get along."

"You're part of the problem." Kagome glared.

"Will Kouga-san provide us with excuses for school?" Midorima asked. "We are all accounted for," he straightened himself out on his seat, "but Murasakibara and Atsushi are on different prefectures."

"Ah, you're right…". Kagome tapped her finger on her chin. "I can talk to Kouga or even Sesshomaru-sama…".

Kise blinked, "I will never get tired of how casually you speak of him, Kagomecchi."

"Huh?" She raised her eyes to him. "What do you mean?"

"Keh," Kagami scoffed, "that demon scares everyone. Even with his human form."

She blinked again. Sesshomaru was scary?

Murasakibara reached for another handful of rice crackers. "I could probably crush him."

"Uh, no." Kagome shook her head immediately. "Let's not do that." He really did not need to do that unless he felt like being melted on the spot. Shaking the violent thought away from her head, Kagome looked at her paper she had scribbled on. "Um, well if we are all agreeing to this, then…we can all meet up tomorrow morning at Kouga's gym."

"He has a gym?" Kagami asked. "Like…his gym?"

Kagome shrugged back, "I really don't know. Something about Olympic athletes go there to train."

"Yosh!" Aomine smirked, fishing all eyes onto him. "I'll be asking him to train me then! That's one step closer to becoming a national player!"

"Oi, National Player-san," Kagome threw a rice cracker to his forehead, "concentrate first on Jabberwock. Besides," a grin slowly appeared on her lips, "show you can defeat Jabberwock before taking on the big boy matches, Aomine-kun."

He raised a brow at her before flicking a rice cracker back at her face. "Talk big, Neko-chan and you won't know the size of the bite you'll get back."

"Then," Akashi stood from his seat, "we are all in agreement. Higurashi-san, could you send us the address in the group chat?"

"Uh, yeah no problem." She nodded. Following everyone up and coming to a stand herself, Kagome dusted off her sweats. She followed them out to the genkan before putting on her own outside slippers and following them out on the shrine's front yard. A cool breeze whistled through as everyone gave their goodbyes. Kagome's lips curled into a soft smile watching each one of them walk down her stairs.

Starting tomorrow…they were going to be a team. All of them. Kagome crossed her arms as she turned around to walk back to her house only to see one of them standing before The Goshinboku tree. Kagome tilted her head to the side, shifting her feet to walk towards the dark-blue haired male.

"Are you into trees or something now, Aomine-kun?" She asked sarcastically. "Don't tell me you are having second thoughts of all of you being in one team again…?"

"More like jealousy."

Kagome's eyes fluttered, taken back his quick reply. Out of everything she was ready to hear, that answer was not something she was expecting.

"Jealousy?" She repeated. Looking over at the stairs, she watched as Kagami and Kuroko descended the stairs. "Like watching your former shadow working with someone else?" It made sense. The last time he had had played with Kuroko on the same team was since their middle school years and everything had shattered in their last year. She had not thought about their personal feelings in this. Kagome sighed heavily, placing her hands on her hips. "Don't worry," she reassured him. "You're all going to have a lot of time working together this week. Don't think about the shadows and such. You are all making a new team starting this week." Realization hit her hard, making her hands cup her cheeks in horror. "Oh gosh, what have a I done…?! A whole week of you all?!" She closed her eyes with a deeper sigh. "What did I start…?"

Watching her from the corner of his eyes, Aomine observed as she was predicting her hell with them. Did she really think that was the worst thing that could occur? The idiot had made a deal with a devil. Sure, he was pissed over the match and Nash's sportsmanship, but the moment she and Nash clashed words, he had to use everything in him to stop himself from coming here. He wanted to scold her for being an idiot. A big idiot.

His brows furrowed on her person as he turned his body to fully face her. To hell she was going on a date with that bastard. Scoffing under his breath, he walked past the girl but not before giving her hair a gentle ruffle.

"O-Oi-!" Kagome huffed.

"You're not going on that date, you hear me?"

She blinked, lowering her hands from the top of her head. "H-Huh? You mean with Nash?" Her shoulders dropped, "then you guys better win!" If she was to be honest with herself, she did not want to go either.

Pushing his hands into the pockets of his pants, Aomine smirked over his shoulder. "Oh I will."

"Eh…?" Left blinking at Aomine's back, Kagome repeated his words in her head. He? He? Wait – her eyes widened slowly – did they all think that was their price?!

Kagome looked at the time on her phone. 'Yosh, an hour and half before meet up. Maybe I should get something to eat on the way…'. It was an early Saturday morning, and one she was unsure how it would go. It would be the first day everyone would officially be a team and it was her job to make sure the team was carried out until the end. She took another look at her phone as she left her house, closing the door quietly behind her. 'I did contact Riko-senpai and Momoi-chan about other members they had in mind. Hopefully they could get some people.' They would have to be crazy to agree knowing the Generation of Miracles, Kagami, and Kuroko were all going to be in one team. She just hoped Riko and Momoi could assist with the kinder that was for sure to run wild.

Adjusting the strap to her sports bag, Kagome took the final steps down from her shrine only to stop before the last one. She blinked noticing her light-blue haired classmate standing wearing his gym wear and carrying his own sports bag. Kagome tilted her head to the side, "good morning, Kuroko-kun." Why…was he here?

He turned his head towards her. "Good morning, Kagome-chan."

She took the final step down, "is everything alright?" She had not made plans to meet with any of them until they all got to Kouga's gym.

Kuroko's lips graced her with a soft smile. "I was wondering if you would like to get some breakfast with me at the conbini?"

"Oh…". The corner of her lips curved upwards. "Of course! You read my mind, Kuroko-kun!"

Taking the lead, Kagome looked at him from over her shoulder. "What are you craving?"

"A vanilla milkshake."

Her eyes drooped, "Kuroku-kun that's not breakfast."

"Would they like salmon or the seaweed one better?" Balancing a salmon rice ball and a seaweed rice ball on both her palms, Kagome raised a brow at the decision before her. Should getting breakfast be this complicated? She sighed as she dropped both rice balls into the basket between her feet. No, if her team was going to complain, then they could complain to a wall. She was not going to be listening to kids.

"Kagome-chan."

Kagome jolted in place before her head whipped around to see Kuroko holding a few bakery goods in his arms. "A-Ah, Kuroko-kun you scared me…". She really had her senses shut down these days.

"I got a few chocolate croissants and donuts." He dropped them into the basket.

"I think Murasakibara-kun will devour those first…". Kagome's sweat drop loomed over her head as she saw that indeed the five pastries in the basket would easily be consumed by the center player.

Kuroko nodded, "I'll go get more then."

"Yeah, I'm putting a few more rice balls and then getting the drinks."

Before Kuroko turned around to return to the bakery aisle of the convenience store, he stopped as he stared at the people coming in and out. He looked over his shoulder; he watched Kagome place a few more rice balls into the basket.

"Kagome-chan?"

"Hm?" She reached for another rice ball on the shelf.

"Aomine-kun meant the date."

The rice ball was dropped onto the floor, clattering with a few more rice balls on the way. Frozen in place and hand in the air, Kagome's fingers twitched and flexed. "E-Eh?" She slowly turned her head over her shoulder. "What are you talking about, Kuroko-kun?"

"Yesterday," he replied, "I saw Aomine-kun speaking with you after everyone left. I happen to overhear him mention he would get a date with you if we won against Jabberwock."

Kagome's eyebrow twitched, 'right…happened to hear…'. She bent down to grab the fallen rice balls. "He was kidding, Kuroko-kun. That idiot is always saying things to catch me off guard."

"Are you sure about that?" He questioned her.

She froze.

Kuroko helped her pick up one of the rice balls before straightening up to tower over her (slightly). Kagome's cheeks reddened heavily as she noticed he was looking deep into her eyes. "Aomine-kun is rarely serious; he means it." He placed the rice ball in her basket. "We all mean it. We won't let Nash-san win."

Taking the basket from the floor, he gave Kagome a smile. "After all, we all wish to have a date with you someday, Kagome-chan." He raised the basket, "I will pay for this. Let's get going, Kagome-chan. We wouldn't want to be late."

She was left staring at the empty spot he had occupied beside her. She was left with wide eyes and out of words. Shoulders untensed as she took a slow turn to see Kuroko being the next one to pay for the food at the register. A date…? All of them? Memories of their first year quickly flashed in her head. The simple gestures from Kuroko, Kagami, and the other miracles. Aomine's words from last night echoed once more.

Eyes dropped to her feet as thoughts ran wild in her head. Wait, had she been that oblivious?

For how long?

MizukixTsukiyomi's Notes: I do hope you all enjoyed your holidays and let's hope 2020 brings amazing things. As for this chapter, I hope you enjoyed reading it. I do hope I can get a new chapter out faster than I did before. That might be a resolution to do.

It would mean a lot if you left a review!

Until next time!

Ja~ne!