Tetsuya Nigō Drabbles Part 1

Day 113 - A conversation before the match

And so the tournament's opening ceremony came and went, the matches beginning right after it.

Seirin was used to it now though, all the people, yelling, cheering, the cameras, interviews. The whole mess. They expected it. So they had one less thing to worry about. They could focus more on the games. Although they didn't have a game today but tomorrow. Still, the team could watch the other teams. Which meant watching mainly the teams with boys from the Generation of Miracles in them.

Today those teams were Kaijo and Rakuzan. They didn't play against each other but it seemed like they would the day after since both teams were pummeling their opponents and without Kise and Akashi on the court.

But looking around, Kuroko soon saw that Akashi, unlike Kise, wasn't in his team's bench either. Was he out or was he even here? Looking towards the exit, the blue-eyed boy saw his ex captain leaning on the wall, a reddish puppy next to him, watching the match. Akashi really was taking a different approach to his puppy unlike everyone else.

After the matches for the day were over and everyone was filling out of the building, Akashi and Kise saw each other, slowing their steps so they could talk to each other.

"I saw you didn't play today. How's your leg?" Akashi asked nicely.

"Oh, fine. Don't worry." Kise laughed. "You'll see tomorrow." Then, looking at the animal walking next to Akashi, Kise continued talking. "I saw you weren't playing either. In stead you were talking to your friend here."

The blond boy crouched in front of the puppy, lifting his right hand and introducing himself with a smile. The pup looked him up and down, then looking to Akashi for confirmation that this human was a friend. After a small nod the puppy lifted his left front paw and put it in Kise's hand.

The boy was surprised for a second but then remembered that his Hissori too understood when he talked to him. Puppies were clever.

"Good friend you've found, Akashi." Kise praised the puppy after petting it while getting up. "Hopefully he'll help you against my team tomorrow."

"He's not yet mine." The pink-haired boy said. "But don't worry, I'll win and without his help this time."

"Be careful. I might've become better than you." Kise warned with a goofy smile but the look in his eyes was serious, maybe even a bit dangerous. Of course Akashi noticed this.

"You copy what you've seen, Kise. But I improve, too. You haven't seen everything I can do."

"Yeah. So it will be even more fun." Kise offered his hand and Akashi shook it. They were ready for tomorrow. The challenge was there, the boys were serious. The only thing missing was the stage.

Tomorrow.