Flesh & Bone (OMORI AU)

Chapter 19: Hoops

Despite the rain that fell a few days prior, the skies were clear and the sun shone brightly. The leaves had already begun to turn a soft shade of orange as they fell to the ground below, crunching under those who stepped on them. The group was on their way to the park, Kel holding his basketball, Mari holding her picnic basket and Basil holding a med kit (despite being told it wasn't necessary, he insisted on it; especially because of Mari's bad knee)

The park was mostly empty, though Aubrey caught glance of Angel and Charlene, waving at them as she rushed over to chat. The others didn't seem to mind. Kel had already begun dribbling the ball, looking at his friends. Mari, Aubrey and Basil had offered to play with him. While they had a good amount of players, Kel and Mari wanted to get Sunny out of his comfort zone. Of course, without pushing him. Hero just didn't like moving around so much. He had poor stamina that he tried to improve but then came to terms with it.

Aubrey returned after talking to her other friends, pumping a fist in the air. "Alright let's get this party started! Mari you know how to play right?"

Mari nodded. "I almost joined the high school basketball team."

"Ooh wow! Why didn't you try out?" Basil asked.

"I fell while in training because of my knee.."

Aubrey paused. "Woah, Mari- I don't think you should play if your knee is still bothering you. Maybe Basil is right."

"If I can heal Basil maybe I can heal myself? If I figure out how I did it that is... but for now we'll play, and I'll tell you if I need to stop, alright?" Mari nodded, the others nodding.

"Sunny will keep count of the scores, I'll be the referee."

Sunny nodded, sat across from Hero on the park bench. Hero counted to three, before saying go. Kel and Mari were on one team, while Basil and Aubrey were on the other. Kel passed the ball to Basil who froze in fear. Aubrey screeched at him and he rushed to the hoop, shakily dribbling as Kel and Mari got closer to him. He managed to dodge Mari's attempt at grabbing the ball, gasping as Kel's shadow loomed over him. He squeaked as he tried to throw the ball into the net, missing it by a mile.

"COME ON MAN!!!" Aubrey groaned.

"S-Sorry.." Basil whispered as he walked back to the center, hunching over.

Sunny held up two hands, one finger up on his left. Kel and Mari scored their first point because the ball went out of bounds. They high fived one another happily, Aubrey growling under her breath as she crossed her arms.

"Basil, you do defense next time, got it?"

"Y-Yes."

Hero tapped his foot as they continued to play. Multiple minutes had passed and unsurprisingly, Mari and Kel were winning. If they got one more shot, they'd win with a total of five points. Basil and Aubrey only had two points. Aubrey threw the ball to Mari who began dribbling it. Basil tried to stay close to the net while Aubrey actively prevented Mari from shooting the ball.

Kel caught the ball as it was thrown to him. Shit. Aubrey got in his way as Kel started dribbling across the court, when Basil surprisingly took the ball from him without looking. Basil rushed to his team's side of the court, Aubrey cheering for him. Kel smiled in determination as Mari circled around Basil. Just as Basil threw the ball, Mari lept up slightly to swat the ball away from the net. While she succeeded, when she landed back on her feet she lost her balance, her right knee wobbling as she fell over.

Hero and Sunny's eyes widened as Basil, Kel and Aubrey stepped back from Mari, who was laying against the concrete in pain. She held her knees with her eyes glued shut, wincing and biting her lip.