From the very start, he had wanted nothing more than to live life peacefully surrounded by his parents and grandma, friends and basketball. He wanted his everyday life to be filled with smiles and laughter – so much so that he did everything he could to keep it like that. But he was no god. He had no power over anyone, not even himself. In fact, he was weak. He could do nothing but watch as everything that he hoped and wished for crumble in front of him. He came to despise everything – his family, his friends, and even the love of his life, basketball. He came to despise even himself.

His happy days in Teikou were short-lived as his teammates started to change totally in physical strength, and even their mindsets. They were no longer the teammates that he had loved with his entirety. They became beasts; they ate and crushed the dreams of other hopeful players. They wrecked havoc on the courts and it didn't matter who they fought against as long as they won. And the worst of all, they became each other's enemy. It wasn't a team playing; rather, it was a one-on-one-on-one-on-one and so on.

He hated it. He hated it. And he hated it. He hated them all. But nothing could beat his own self-despise. It burned more than anything he could ever imagine. He hated his inability to help them, save them from each other and from their own selves. That is why, when his beloved captain let those words loose, he lost it. He lost his very purpose of living.

And so he quit the team, and he quit himself.

There is no wonder why he wakes up one morning to find himself hung over and naked in a room he does not recognize. He glances over to his side, finding an unfamiliar woman buried in the only blanket that was keeping both of their privates hidden. He then rubs his temples, trying to figure out how he ended up in that strange place.

"Mm…" the woman beside him mumbles, shifting her body away from him. He sighs and shakes his head.

Better get home first.

The details didn't matter for now. For now, he needed to get home and change. Being quite the gentleman, the man scavenges for something to write on. He stands up from the bed and approaches the dresser just across the room. He ganders at the things there – make up, hair products, various perfumes and a few printed photos.

He picks up a photo and assumes the person on it is the owner of the place he was invading. His eyes grow wide as the unfamiliar person was actually someone more familiar and close to him. He breathes a heavy sigh and scratches his scalp hard.

I can't believe this… after six years… Did they manage to find me?

Changing his mind to leave a note, the man grabs his clothes and wears them as fast as he can. He heads to the door, and before he exits entirely, he glances over to the bed. The woman on it shifts her body again and reveals everything he could ever remember of her…

He exits the door in hopes of forgetting that woman with the long, pretty pink hair.