The Basketball Saruhiko Played [Kuroko no Basket Fanfic]

Game 11:

It was Saru, who was losing in the match, dashing desperately to get the ball from Seirin’s clasp…

Smiling?

 

Riko seemed to witness the whole match of Teiko all over again—now with her cousin as the only player against her team. Something felt really weird just by looking at her cousin dashing towards Hyuga, who currently holds the ball and is probably planning to shoot for a three-pointer at the moment. It may look normal when an average person looks at it, but with Riko’s Scan Abiliy, a sudden change in a person’s statistics for a moment is very ridiculous. She even felt a slight tremor in every step her cousin took as she make a run towards the rejoicing Hyuga and most of all—Saru was smiling mysteriously.

She takes a closer look as Seirin’s victory disappeared all of a sudden in the blink of an eye. Things happened just so fast Riko couldn’t absorb anything at all. Saru ran towards Hyuga and simply stole the ball, immediately acting up maneuvering herself and easily passing beyond each players that charge towards her—even the marvellous Kagami-Kuroko coordination duo couldn’t do any tag-team tactics against that moment.

“What the hell just happened…”—The only words uttered by Riko, or probably everyone else who get to witness the match at that moment…

“WHAT.THE.HELL. WAS. THAT?!” Hyuga exclaimed in extreme rage as stood frozen near the outside court of Saru’s post. He couldn’t express how he really felt at that time, it’s as if he’s experiencing all kinds of extremes in one moment: disappointment, rage, annoyance—everything a person wouldn’t want to feel. It was the polar opposite of what jubilant emotions he felt a while ago before Saru got the ball from him. The whole team was panting, standing in accordance to the positions assigned to them and stunned from everything they saw.

“Phew, that was awesome!!!!” A loud and excited voice topples over all the tension and shock everybody was currently suffering from in the actual moment. After her boisterous cheers of joy, dribbling sounds followed, filling the silent gymnasium the music that every basketball player would want to hear—well not in the current situation they have.

“Hey guys, what’s with the poor spirit? Come on, you haven’t scored anything yet, the bet still goes on!” Saru happily exclaimed towards the loomy team, currently staring emptily towards her. Everybody couldn’t seem to comprehend what just happened. Saru walked towards the five players standing at the other court while she continuously dribbled the ball on her delicate, fair hand.

“You know what,” Saru started as she reached half-court and stopped a few feet away from Hyuga, “I told you don’t get too cocky, we need to do something about your cockiness, Captain.” Saying that in a matter-of-factly manner. Silence confides in the gymnasium. “Do you want to know what really happened?” Saru asks, the team, including the audience, nods in synchronization. Saru stops dribbling the ball and threw it to Hyuga, startling him with the sudden pass. “Now hold the ball, dribble it and act as if you’re running towards the ring.” She orders him. Hyuga, in pure amazement, follows her obediently without uttering a single word. As he stops into the pose Saru desired, she points at his arms and does a ‘chop’ like motion of her hand like in karate towards his shoulders that made him groan in pain. “Look at that horrible posture, you’re full of openings hungry wolves would definitely want to take advantage of!” Saru sighs in disappointment, shaking her head left to right while having a ‘Oh-my-goodness- you’re-horrible’ look on her face.

“Look here, I am going to rein-act what really happened a while ago,” Saru stated, going near him but still places a gap between them, “when you run like that, certain parts of your body becomes weak and vulnerable because you place greater force and energy on the side where you’re holding the ball.” Saru closes the gap until they’re inches away from each other. “What I did earlier, as you tried to dribble the ball—for which is not your expertise in this game-- you just gave your opponent a huge advantage because you see here,” Saru slowly places her hand where the ball simply bounced a few inches away from the floor, slapping Hyuga’s hand upward causing him to jolt that arm backwards from the impact, and then simply turning her body back to the other court, “your strength was backfired to you. It’s rather a simple trick you know… Even kids could do this thing.” She had a smug expression on her face, annoying Hyuga more.

‘It’s not that stupid, it’s you and that creepy feeling a while ago…’ Hyuga thought. What bothers him is that weird feeling he felt a while ago, its Saru felt like another Generation of Miracle prodigy, the same creepy and powerful aura they feel whenever they’re near one. “Hey guys, are we going to play or not? Come on I got a point already.” Saru boasted. Groans could be heard from the other players, while the audience were simply staring at the sudden enlightenment from the tension felt a while ago.

Riko was still unsatisfied with what Saru explained, it’s as if Saru told a simple façade that covers up another much more complex system hidden behind the shadows. Riko stares intently towards the cheerful, arrogant Saru who continuously taunts Hyuga who’s currently thinking about something.

Everybody was startled from a sudden laughter heard inside the gymnasium. The source of the laughter was Taiga, still laughing wholeheartedly at the side. Kuroko stands a few feet from him, looks intently at Saru but she didn’t notice because she was distracted with this sudden outburst from Taiga. “He broke down, what the heck. My explanation wasn’t that hard to understand was it? This guy must be very stupid to break down from an explanation that could be easily understood by some grade-schooler.” Saru murmurs to herself as she looks oddly, with one eyebrow raised, to this cackling red-headed monster.

“Hey I heard that!” Taiga stops from laughing and immediately changes expression. “I’d definitely want you to fight me in a 1-on-1 match.” He says it with all seriousness. Kuroko looks towards him and back at Saru. ‘You know he really sounded like somebody I met yesterday…’ Saru thought.

“Sure let’s play…” Saru stated in a casual tone, not even bothering to give any bit of ‘privilege’ type of feels for thanking Taiga in choosing her as an opponent- kind of formality. Dropping the tension a while ago, another situation comes rushing in. ‘Well, I’ve never made myself busy again after all these years...’ Saru smiles at the thought. “But it’s almost dark now, can we give it a rest?” Koga interrupts, getting the attention of everybody. He stiffens as he notices the stares of the team towards him, including Saru and Testuya No. 2 who was left ignored in most of the duration of the game play. “Well, I’m exhausted, let’s go home Riko…” Saru stretches her strained body and walks while towards the doors of the gymnasium, leaving Taiga and the others staring at her. Before completely getting out of the gymnasium, she stops and looks bizarrely at the players, “What? Don’t you guys said you wanted to go home already?” and waits for them to finally react and move along, picking up the basketball balls and placing it in the storage room.

“We’ll continue the match tomorrow!” Taiga enthusiastically declared to the yawning Saru. She looks blankly at him and gives him a meaningless smile. “Yep, perhaps, if I’m in the mood though.” She murmurs to herself. She leaves the gymnasium before everybody finishes cleaning up, walking alone under the deep moonless night.