Spark | Kuroko no Basuke x OC

Live and Let Live

Tomoko and Kuroko watched anxiously from the bench as the third quarter rolled on. Seirin was successful in gaining back a few points now and then, but each time the ball landed in Midorima's hands, it caused the cycle of struggle to start all over again.

We're still behind by almost half...

The redhead tried to stop Midorima's shot by giving all his might in his jump, but it wasn't enough as the ball arched perfectly into the basket. Shutoku gained another point.

He was getting restless.

As the ball returned to the Shutoku shooting guard once more, Kagami was ready to jump again with the slim chance that he would be able to block it. It wasn't going to be easy, impossible to other's eyes even, but everyone in Seirin knows that the redhead had the uncanny ability to jump to an infinity height.

Another jump...

This time, his fingers grazed the orange ball just as it was going to descend into the net.

The crowd roared as the ball slightly lost its momentum and swirled around the rim before going down. It was something they never expected to happen; Midorima never shot anything less than perfect. Nevertheless, it was a small victory for Seirin—for now there was an opening that they could utilize. But as the team reveled with new found encouragement, Tomoko noticed a slight change in the redhead.

He was stronger, but something in his eyes was different from the other times she watched him play. "What is he thinking...?" she wondered, her voice soft enough that only Kuroko caught on.

It was a man-to-man between his former teammate and teammate. Kuroko observed the two with scrutiny as he thought back to what he had told Kagami earlier.

"I told Kagami-kun that while I have thought about winning, I have never wondered if I can win or not. I just play," the phantom said, watching as his teammate prevented Midorima from moving—even as Takao came up to screen him, he was able to get past the hawk eye player and catch up with the miracle. "I don't think he agrees."

The basketball clanked on the net harshly and bounced off, giving Mitobe a chance to take it away; however, Otsubo was faster. It was another point for Shutoku.

But the next thing that happened shocked the whole arena.

The ball was in Midorima's possession for another three-pointer, but for the first time, Kagami's high jump stopped it from going towards the net completely.

"He's really pushing himself," Tomoko realized when she witnessed his sheer display of strength. His spirit was undeniably burning with the passion that she so admired, and repeatedly, he has exposed Shutoku's weaknesses as he strengthened his own abilities. But... "He's playing without the team."

"Okuma-san has noticed too," Kuroko confirmed, his expression sullen. "He's taking it upon himself to pressure Midorima-kun and the rest."

Tomoko frowned. Kagami was doing exceptionally well on preventing the other team from scoring... And his jumps and blocks have exceeded anyone's expectations... He even managed to pull the score up 47 to 56. However, it wasn't going to last long if he continued to play like that.

"He's straining himself too much!" salmon eyes narrowed. She was more than aware that as powerful as Kagami was, he still wasn't superman. She tensed up just as he tried to once again block Midorima with his insane jump, but like she feared, his body was depleted and his legs refused to budge.

"This isn't going to work," she turned to the blue haired boy, who grew quiet to watch the whole display, with worry laced across her face. "...He needs to cool down."