Must Love Basketball

The hallway was silent, too silent in fact to be considered normal.

The quiet disturbed her and she found that she couldn't properly concentrate on her after school duties. She couldn't function without that background noise anymore, because it reassured her that things were as they should be and she didn't want that to change.

Her unfounded agitation only continued to worsen the longer the unnatural quiet lingered throughout the hallway leading to the school gym.

With a puzzled frown she glanced up at the clock steadily ticking away the hour and her brow furrowed when she saw that her right to be suspicious of the silence was confirmed.

It was far too early for the basketball team to have disbanded already.

They were beyond dedicated to make it to the finals this year, to prove their worth to everyone who thought that they were a joke.

So what was with this annoying silence?

She had long since become accustomed to the rhythmic pounding of a basketball against the polished hardwood floor, along with the accompanying squeaking of shoes and raised voices as the players ran around court trying to better their skills.

Once upon a time, not so very long ago those noises annoyed her to the point of causing migraines and many heated arguments with the team's coach and the players.

But that was then and things had, no—she had changed, and now she found that the silence was... just not right.

It didn't take long before curiosity coupled with a hefty dose of annoyance forced her to leave the empty room and search out the reason why there was no noise of any kind coming from the gym.

Surely they hadn't left already. She reasoned that if that were the case, then she would have heard the shrill whistle Seirin's young coach was so fond of abusing.

More than once she had seriously considered ripping that godforsaken thing off the coach's neck and stomping it into a fine silver dust that would make even fairies jealous.

So far, she had refrained from doing something so drastic. That didn't mean the urge wasn't still there though, because it was and on particularly bad days when her patience was at its thinnest, her fingers tended to twitch restlessly as if possessed by something malevolent.

Her quiet yet steady footfalls made little noise on the floor as she neared the double-door entry.

Far from being shy, the seventeen-year-old didn't hesitate before unceremoniously waltzing into the spacious room unannounced. Only to stop dead in her tracks moments later when the scene playing out before her actually registered in her mind.

"Oh," The breath left her lungs in a soft, near silent noise of surprise and awe as her cheeks flushed a soft rosy hue. To say she was shocked would have been an understatement, but to say she was disgusted would have been a burning lie that not even the devil could have swallowed.

Because the image before her was nothing short of breathtakingly beautiful and a bit hormonally stimulating, especially for a high school girl with a deeply secret crush.

Seemingly lost deep within his thoughts, the previous sole occupant of the room hadn't yet noticed her presence and for that small favor, she was immensely grateful. It would do no good for either of them if he were to turn around and notice her gawking at his sweaty, half-naked physique.

She was pretty sure that he liked someone else, if his observed actions towards said person were anything to go by. He was too good of a person for her anyway. He deserved someone better than her. Still, the thought of him with someone else stung in the worst of ways. She would just have to get over it though and move on, eventually.

Why he had no shirt on in the air-conditioned gym, she didn't know nor did she care. He had no reason to be ashamed of his body at any rate. He was perfect in her eyes; tall with the right amount of muscle on his athletically slender form and a smile that very nearly brought her to her knees every time he graced her with one.

After a moment common sense overrode her hormone induced stupor and she realized that she needed to disappear in a hurry, before he noticed her and awkwardness ensued. Holding her breath, she carefully stepped back, moving to exit the gym just as quickly and quietly as she had entered.

He would never even know that she, the so-called 'annoying girl' that everyone in Seirin High thought hated basketball with a passion had been there, invading his private time when he clearly wanted to be alone with whatever was plaguing him.

Unfortunately, luck was not with her. As soon as the heel of her shoe touched the hardwood floor a loud squeak pierced the silence. She instantly froze up as his head snapped up and around to see who or what had made the noise. His gaze held hers captive as soon as they met and in that moment, she swore her heart stopped beating.

The tall Center's surprised features slowly morphed into one of recognition, before relaxing into a softer, more polite half-smile that didn't quite reach his dark eyes. He nervously shuffled the basketball tucked loosely to his hip, his fingertips gently teasing the raised, bumpy surface of the ball and unknowingly causing the girl to shiver at the action.

"I'm sorry if I was making too much noise." He started moderately, flashing another half-smile that made her want to cringe at the falseness of it being directed at her, because of her. "I didn't think anyone else was here."

"N-no," Her voice was whispery soft and the unusual stutter really did make her cringe. Good grief, she was acting like a right idiot. Where was all the fire, the bravado that she was infamously known and quietly disliked by nearly the entire student body for?

"No!" She burst out through a dry, heavy throat. Her face flamed from the sudden loud and desperateness of her tone and even he seemed surprised by her outburst.

"No," She immediately amended in a somewhat normal tone, her features softening of their own accord. "You're fine, it's fine. I wasn't bothered at all..." Her voice started to drift off into a murmur as her fingers twined themselves together in a nervous habit.

"In fact, I came here because... because of how quiet it had become. I've become so used to the noise that the quiet made me curious." She admitted at last, her gaze dropping in shame. After all of the fuss she had made over how much noise the basketball team had been making and now admitting that it didn't bother her. Well, he probably though her stupid or bipolar now.

"I'm really sorry if I disturbed you, I didn't mean to barge in while you were practicing and throw you off. I know an important match is coming up and that you need to concentrate on winning and the game plan..." She knew she was rambling on like a lunatic but she just couldn't seem to stop from embarrassing herself further. She had already pulled the noose around her neck, so why not go ahead and kick the chair out from under her feet as well?

His head tilted slightly to the side showing his curiosity at her vast knowledge of the team's goal. No one on the team, including him, had pegged her for knowing even the basics and yet, it seemed like she knew more than most of them put together. "Do you like basketball?" He asked when she finally took a breath.

"I… I don't dislike it, but I don't love it either. I can't," She admitted, glancing away briefly to collect her feelings. "My father used to play when he was in high school. He was pretty good too; everyone was sure that he had a future in the NBA, until… the accident." Here she paused, and pain flashed across her features at the memory.

"The injury was so bad that even after he had healed, he couldn't play anymore without the risk of permanent damage. He didn't take the news so well and…" Her breath hitched in her throat, as fat tears began to well up in the corners of her eyes, but she forcefully shoved them away. She wouldn't leave him guessing and he deserved the truth behind her aversion for basketball.

"He still loves basketball as much as he did before; he'll never stop loving basketball. It was his life and then with a cruel twist of fate, he had nothing; all of his dreams, gone. He hasn't been the same since and I can't love something that nearly destroyed my father." Her voice was nearly a broken yell by the time she finished her story. She sucked in a deep breath trying to calm her racing heart and the mixed emotions that always seem to explode from her when she thought of basketball.

Teppei knew where she was coming from. The pain of nearly losing it all… he had felt it. He knew at least half of what her father had gone though, what he was still going through. Mindlessly he shifted the basketball and watched as her features softened in knowing. So, she knew about his injury too, about how serious it was.

"He taught me the game, you know." She admitted. Her voice was barely above a whisper, but he heard her loud and clear. She seemed determined to not meet his eyes. "Ever since I could walk he had placed his shattered hopes in me, his daughter, that I would love the game as much as he does… and I did, once. I did love it…" Here she finally let their gazes meet.

"Please be careful, Kiyoshi-kun. Please don't let something you love so much destroy you." She pleaded, very nearly in tears again. "I don't want to see you break apart. I wouldn't be able to stand it."

Her passionate outcry for his wellbeing surprised him more so than the unexpected casual use of his name. She truly cared about him, about the safety of the team, he realized. His expression softened as did his more rigid feelings towards her that had built up over the years. Everything that had transpired between the team and her since their first year had been a complete misunderstanding, and all on their part.

"I can't promise you that I won't get hurt," He told her sincerely. He felt bad when her eyes flashed in pain again. He had to protect his team, but he wasn’t heartless. "But, I'll do my best." He gave her a soft smile, hoping to lift her spirits just a little. He was rewarded with a small, but true smile in return and an understanding nod.

"Thank you. That's… that's more than I should ask of you to give." Her tone was returning back to the calm and in control one he was all too familiar with, but it was softer now. There were no more hard feelings on her part. Not after she had bared her soul for him to see just how scarred it was.

"I won't cause you or your team anymore trouble. I promise." She bowed after giving him a small smile and turned to leave.

Teppei had no idea what possessed him to do it. Maybe it was the lingering unease he felt at seeing her walk away, but before he could stop himself, not that he really wanted to, he called out to her his body moving towards her on its own accord in an attempt to make her stay. "Hey, wait!"

She seemed more surprised than him as she turned half-way to see what it was that he wanted. For several moments he was speechless and fidgeted having no idea what to say to her now that he had her attention. It wasn't until he shifted and felt the light weight of the basketball in his hands that something came to mind.

"Do you want to shoot a few rounds with me?" There was a light heat warming his cheeks, but he ignored it in favor of waiting, somewhat nervously, for her answer. He fully expected her to say no after hearing the story of what had happened to her father. He wouldn't blame her if she did. He just hoped that his request wouldn't be met with tears or a lashing out of anger. He didn't want her to cry anymore.

The silence was deafening and the longer it lingered between them the worse he began to feel. His gaze dropped to the basketball in his hand in defeat. He shouldn't have asked. He should have just let her leave. This was one of the worst ideas he'd ever had. She was sure to hate him now.

"… Sure, I'd love to.” She finally answered. His head snapped up to see that she was smiling so softly at him, her eyes shining warmly. A slow smile curled on his lips, which only widened when she turned back towards him and held her hands up — ready and waiting for him to pass it to her.

She caught the ball easily and dribbled it experimentally a few times, testing its weight and feel with the hand of someone who knew how to play. He could already tell that she wasn't a rookie at the game by any means. She had to have played basketball for several years already.

Then her eyes boldly caught his and she shot him a playful yet challenging smirk that both surprised and intrigued him. "It's been awhile since I've played, but I won't go easy on you, Iron Heart."

Smiling wider, he gave a short but humored laugh and shook his head at her tenacity before he moved into position. He could already tell that this was going to be so much fun. "I wouldn't expect you to." His excitement was all too clear through his voice as he practically sang. "Let's have fun~!"