Vicious || Aomine D.

Eight

[ You bastard! ]
_____

It was game day. Seirin vs. Touou.

The Seirin boys were anxious to play, Kagami more so than the rest.

He had been driving Riyo crazy all day starting with his super-mega-lets-beat-Aomine-breakfast that consisted of anything and everything he could find in the fridge, including the chicken Riyo had reserved for dinner and her blueberry yogurt. He'd also been hyping himself up from the moment he'd woken up, spouting motivational nonsense out of the blue. Even Iverson had started barking at him, which he usually didn't do, and Riyo was convinced that had been the dog telling the Seirin ace to shut the hell up.

Kagami wasn't the only one crawling out of his skin, Riyo was on edge too. Tonight, she'd be sitting on the Seirin bench, supporting her new friends and cheering them on. She'd caved when she'd eventually realized that if they'd been playing against any other team she would've agreed in a heartbeat. She wouldn't have even thought twice about it. Riyo refused to let Aomine take this away from her.

Classes with Kagami and Kuroko were pure torture. Well, apart from the furious looks he directed his notes like he could burn a hole through them and the occasional quiver of his hand, Kuroko was acting like his usual, calm self but Kagami was insufferable. He was incapable of focusing on anything and there was an ominous aura around him that made everyone stay at an arm's length from him. Even the teachers left him alone, although they did shoot some weird looks his way.

By the time the team got to the basketball arena and Riyo could finally part ways with Kagami, she was relieved. She had a few moments to herself and could finally breathe easily for a minute.

Riyo decided she would explore the arena while she waited for the team to change and wrap up their pre-game meeting and rituals. She only made it halfway through when she spotted a familiar face, and froze.

"Miyoshi," Midorima stated his tone flat.

He was wearing a pair of ridiculous-looking sunglasses and in his hands, he was holding a box that Riyo figured must've been his lucky item for the day. He never went anywhere without his lucky item.

Riyo contemplated spinning on her heels and walking away because seeing him like this was too familiar. She had been to too many of their games at Teiko, watched Midorima carry around absurd items and shove his hands into his pockets when anyone wanted to talk to him and he got uncomfortable. Sometimes, she'd picked up his lucky item for him herself. They'd been friends.

"Midorima," she replied in the same uninterested manner.

They sized each other up silently. The silence stretched and she was about to walk past him when he finally spoke up again, "Are you here for Aomine?"

She raised a brow. "You haven't heard?"

"Heard what?"

"I go to Seirin High now."

"Hm." He pushed his glasses up a little higher. "Is Aomine alright with that?"

"It doesn't concern him."

"Right," he muttered with sarcasm lacing his voice.

"You know, I hate that you five became the Kiseki no Sedai. Your success cost me everything I cared about. I hope it's worth it," she said turning her back on him and walking away.