In Shadows
Chapter Twenty-Two
Settle the Score

Gina, Kuroko and Kagami returned to the team, just in time to receive a few final instructions from Riko. The coach and the other team members watched them enter, the three of them solemn and serious, and noticed the cut on Kagami's cheek. Questions were in their eyes, but fortunately didn't ask about what had happened during the meeting with the Generation of Miracles, and Gina was glad. She did not want to recount what had just transpired just yet. She still needed time to process everything, for Akashi had shaken her up quite a bit. Instead, she put all her focus on to listening to Riko in an attempt to block any other thought out.

Gina was so absorbed in Riko's words that she jumped in surprise when everyone started to move out, headed for the court. She looked around to regain her bearings, and noticed that somebody hadn't moved from his position; Kagami was still seated by the lockers, appearing to be lost in thought.

"Kagami-kun, it's time." Gina yelped at the voice, only to realise that Kuroko was still in the locker room as well. She shook her head as she recovered. I can't believe I still get caught off guard by that.

"Yeah." Kagami blew out heavily and began to push himself back up into a standing position. "Akashi had me at a loss, but that's all. There's no point thinking about a guy we're not facing yet. Besides," Kagami's eyes narrowed. "My head's full of thoughts of him right now."

There was only one person he could be talking about: Aomine, the ace of the Generation of Miracles, and their opponent for today. Gina knew that Kagami was eager to play Aomine again after Seirin's previous loss to Touou.

"Well, you're not going to be able to repay him from in here," Gina laughed. "Come on, everyone else has gone."

The three of them hurried to reach the rest of the team, joining them just before they emerged from the corridor and on to the gym.

Gina inhaled sharply, her ears suddenly hit with the sound of cheers and applause. She looked up to find the source of the sound and marvelled to see the stands... were absolutely packed with people. She experienced a brief bout of stage fright, even though she wouldn't be playing. Even when she had played netball, she had never walked out on to a court that had been as packed as this one was. She felt really overwhelmed.

"It's only the first day, but the stadium's packed," Gina marvelled, as the team sat down at their bench and made their final preparations, pulling towels and drink bottles out of bags so they'd be accessed at the ready. Gina could barely spot an empty seat in the crowd. "And the cheers..." She shook her head. "I never even went to netball game where there were so many people."

This may as well be a professional level game. Gina shook her head. Then again, considering the skill levels of the Generation of Miracles... especially since it's Aomine who's playing today...

"Are we popular?" Gina heard Furihata wonder.

Hyuga scoffed. "Idiots, of course we're not," he muttered.

"You can do it probably doesn't mean what you think it does," Izuki agreed.

"Unfortunately, most of the spectators are here to see our opponents," Kiyoshi said.

Sure enough, just as he spoke, a roar of cheers and applause erupted from the stands. If Gina had thought the cheers for Seirin were loud, it was nothing compared to the thundering applause Touou was currently receiving.

Gina turned and saw the members from Touou make their way into the stadium. Dressed all in black uniform and emitting an aura of immense strength and skill, they were an intimidating side. Gina gulped as they walked past to their bench, the nervous butterflies in her stomach multiplying tenfold. She'd never seen Touou as an entire team before. Seeing them now... she could understand how they had placed second in the Inter High that summer. 

Gina spotted Momoi with Touou as they walked past. It was odd, seeing her friend on the opposite bench, when she was so used to having Momoi by her side.

Suddenly, to her, the jokes she'd told Momoi about defeating Touou at the mall seemed to be just that; jokes. She was utterly terrified by the other team. Even when she had played high level netball, she hadn't come across a team that had been nearly as intimidating as Touou.

"You can tell they placed second in the Inter-High," Hyuga muttered, as they watched Touou gather and make their final preparations. Not only did they emit strength, but confidence, like they knew they were good and knew they could go far in the tournament.

"Don't lose your cool!" Riko said sharply. "We knew..."

She didn't need to continue, for there was no need. No one on the team looked scared or nervous in the slightest. They looked at Touou as a challenge they were looking forward to facing.

Gina smiled at their determination, and proceeded to hit herself mentally for doubting them even for a second. Don't count them out just yet, she scolded herself. They've developed so much over such a short amount of time.

"The start will be important," Riko reminded everyone. "Our opponents placed second in the Inter-High. On top of that, they doubled our score last time. The difference between our strengths is glaring. If you think they're underestimating us, don't hold back. Start at full throttle and take the first basket!"

There was a collective agreement from the team, just as the umpire blew his whistle and called, "It's time. Both schools, please line up."

A flutter of nerves hit Gina as she watched the two teams stand and make their way on to court. "Good luck!" she called to her friends, proud of the way her voice wasn't shaking. Somehow, watching them go on to court was more nerve-wracking to her than stepping on to a court herself to play a game. While playing, you had to shut out all thoughts to focus on the game at hand. While watching, there was nothing else you could do but hope, pray and worry.

Kiyoshi and the centre from the other team - she heard the name Wakamatsu being mentioned - got ready for the toss. Do it, guys, she thought. 

They won the toss, but that was the only thing that had gone right for them. Touou stole the ball shortly after Seirin gained possession, resulting in Aomine scoring the first basket for the match. Gina clenched her teeth. But there's still Plan B, she told herself.

From then on, the game progressed, and Touou gained the slight upper hand. After a brief time out, Hyuga and the other Shooting Guard - Riko said his name was Sakurai - both started shooting three pointers in a row, with points gaining rapidly for each team. Hyuga caught Sakurai off guard with his Barrier Jumper technique, but Sakurai had a quick release that was difficult to defend.

The quarter finished with Kuroko using his Vanishing Drive to allow Hyuga to score one last three, but Seirin still ended the quarter behind Touou.

Kuroko surprised everyone during the time out by asking to use his Vanishing Drive again. Riko showed concern, worried that Touou would figure out the trick behind the drive, but eventually agreed to it since Seirin needed to pull out all their tricks to win the match. 

When the break was other and the teams headed back on top court, Gina siddled closer to the coach. "Hey, Riko," she murmured, as the quarter started. "How exactly does Kuroko's Vanishing Drive actually work?" She had no idea just how Kuroko was able to use the drive to vanish, even though she'd experienced it herself.

Riko frowned. "Well, for starters, he never truly vanishes. It's just an illusion he creates as a result of several contributing factors. Firstly, he drives in on the diagonal. The human eye can easily track horizontal and vertical movements, but has difficulty picking up the diagonal. Kuroko-kun uses his exceptional observational skills to read the other player's vision, and then ducks in at a particularly difficult angle. However, that's not enough to make him truly disappear, as he cant do it alone." Her eyes were suddenly fixated on court, in particular a tall, red-haired figure. "At any time on court, the ball has the most presence. While performing the Vanishing Drive, Kuroko-kun can't redirect vision to the ball, since he's holding it. Instead, he redirects the other person's vision by getting them to look at Kagami-kun, who has a huge presence on court. That on top on Kuroko-kun's observational skills allow it to appear to another player that he vanished from sight."

Gina's eyes widened. "That's incredible," she breathed. She peered hard at the court to locate Kuroko's pale head. She was filled with admiration. So much work went into making that drive work, and he still did it. I can't imagine how long he spent developing that. She shook her head. Kuroko really does go above and beyond.

Soon, Kuroko had the ball again, ready to use his drive.

But the person he was  against... Gina gulped. It was Aomine.

Calm down, Gina. He used this successfully against Midorima. Surely can do it against Aomine, too.

At first, it looked like it was going to work - until, that was, Aomine moved in Kuroko's way and intercepted the ball.

And Aomine's eyes were closed.

"No way," Gina whispered, her body frozen in shock.

If he wasn't distracted by Kagami, then he can stop Kuroko's drive... but his eyes are still closed! Did he follow instinct? Who knows... But how did he know the trick to Kuroko's disappearing... Her eyes widened, the answer coming to her at once. Momoi. No doubt about it. Gina glanced over at her pink-haired friend on the other bench, who was watching the game with a heavy stare, her clipboard clutched close to her chest. How did she figure it out so quickly?

But never mind that. Gina stared at Kuroko, who watched Aomine steal the ball and score a goal effortlessly. Aomine was now saying something to Kuroko - Gina couldn't hear what was being said, but from the way Kuroko's eyes widened in horror and his shoulders started to slump in defeat, she knew it wasn't good.

Kuroko looked grieved. Defeated. And that would only affect his game play, and that of the team.

"This isn't good," Riko exclaimed shakily. She lurched from her seat and sprinted over to the officials. "Time out!"

But she was too late. Too caught up in a grief-stricken state, Kuroko was going in for another Ignite Pass Kai. But no one was there to receive it.

"Kuroko!" Gina screamed from the bench, desperately trying to stop him. She was aware that Izuki was yelling as well, but it was no use; Kuroko had already entered the form for his pass. 

"Did you think the same move would work twice against me? Try not to disappoint me so much, Tetsu. If this is your answer to defeating me, I'll make it clear. It's use useless effort!"

Shortly after, the officials called the time out. Gina watched as the team came back to the bench, her eyes locked on Kuroko, who wordlessly sat himself down on the bench and pulled a towel over his head. His eyes were shining with unshed tears.

Kuroko... what Aomine said must have really hurt. From what Kuroko had told her, Aomine had been one of the first people to believe in him, and encouraged him to keep playing basketball, and had even been Kuroko's 'light' before Kagami. To have such words spoken to him by someone he'd been so close to... it must hurt. Gina had no idea how to start comforting him, if Kuroko even wanted to be comforted. Her heart was breaking for him as she watched him.

"Kuroko-kun, you're out," Riko said heavily.

Kuroko started, but seemed to have been expecting the call, for he looked down and muttered, "Okay."

Hesitantly, Gina took a seat beside her friend. Her breath hitched in her throat when she saw the tears spill from his eyes. "Damn it..." Kuroko muttered, voice filled with pain.

"Kuroko..." Gina whispered, completely at a loss. She could feel her heart breaking, and absolutely shattering as she watched Kuroko, who was so distraught.

Gently, she placed an hand on his shoulder, then cursed herself for holding back and wrapped her entire arm around both his shoulders. "Don't worry about it," she said, in as a shooting yet determined, firm voice as possible. "You'll be back out there, I'm sure of it. No one is thinking any worse of you, Kuroko, I can tell you that now."

"It's not useless, stupid." Gina looked up and saw Kagami was by their side. "Everyone believes you'll come back. Don't give up this time. While you're sitting out, I'll show him. There's no such thing as a useless effort."

The time out ended, and the team headed back out on to court. As he walked back, Kagami shot her a look. You can look after him, can't you? he seemed to be saying.

Gina narrowed her eyes and nodded. I most definitely can.

If there was one thing she'd do today, she would make sure that for this moment, Kuroko would feel as though he was not useless, and still a highly valued member of the team.

And that he was highly valued by her.

*   *   *

Even without Kuroko, Seirin was still holding on, taking to court and scoring the first basket after the time-out.

In fact, Gina thought, without Kuroko, Kagami only seemed to grow stronger. Not that he wasn't already a spectacular player, but his gameplay was only developing more and more as the minutes ticked by. The match had soon been left as a battle between Kagami and Aomine, who started to dominate the court with their absurd skill.

And Kagami seemed to have one up on Aomine, of all people. Watching him react so quickly to everything Aomine did and moving so fast and with such skill and determination, Kagami reminded her of a wild beast. He was playing so well and able to handle Aomine to such an extent, it was like he was predicting Aomine's movements before they happened. Gina watched, completely enthralled by her friend's play, and could tell that Kuroko was just as invested in the match. She smiled and placed on hand over his. He was slowly getting over his disappointment, it seemed. Gina was glad; seeing Kuroko so broken had torn her up inside.

Thanks to Kagami's efforts, when the quarter ended, Seirin was only two goals behind. The team returned to the bench, and they all headed for the locker area for their ten-minute break.

"Gina," Kuroko said. Gina turned to him to find a small smile was on his face. "Thank you for you support."

Gina felt her cheeks heat up. "It's no problem," she muttered, hiding her face slightly. She squeezed his hand as they entered the locker room. "I'm always here for you, no matter the situation."

"Right, listen up everyone!" Riko called to the team, the minute they were all in the change room. She opened her mouth to say more, but was soon cut off by Kuroko.

"Coach, can I request something?" the blue-haired phantom asked. With the attention of everyone in the room on him, he looked at Riko directly. "I would like to start in the third quarter."

"Kuroko-kun!" Riko spluttered. "You're going in at the start of the third quarter?"

"It's true that it'll be hard for us without you," Hyuga said, "But will misdirection last until the end that way?"

Kuroko shook his head. "No. It won't last. That's why I'll make it run out."

"What? Then what do we do after? At this rate, wouldn't it run out by the end of the third quarter at best?"

Kuroko shook his head, determination set in his blue eyes. "I said the effect would run out, but more accurately, it means the opponents won't be able to take their eyes off me." Like the reverse of vanishing, Gina realized with a start.

"Directing them the opposite way... focusing their attention on me is possible," Kuroko continued. "They won't be able to take their eyes off because it would as if a tenth player has suddenly appeared on a court that previously had nine players. Right afterwards, I'll become the easiest target to direct glances to. Everyone needs to match their play to that."

Riki frowned. "Are you sure, Kuroko-kun? If you do that against Touou... you're basically showing them just how your misdirection works whilst you do it. If you use this now, you'll never be able to use your misdirection against Touou again."

Gina sucked in a breath. It's that drastic, Kuroko?

She expected some hesitancy from Kuroko, or at least for him to waver in his decision, but his reply startled her along with the rest of the team. 

"I'm sure," Kuroko responded, his voice clear of any doubt. "We need to win this match."

Riko frowned, obviously torn between the two options. Gina had some idea of the thoughts going through her head. What if they won this match, only to lose one further down the road? They'd have wasted their trump card for nothing. Even if they did win, how would they fare in the future when Kuroko wouldn't be able to play against this team? What if they used it now and still lost? But, on the other hand, what if they'd didn't use it? Did they need to use such a drastic measure to win against a team as powerful as Touou?

There was a long, heavy silence as Riko considered the idea, no doubt looking at it from all angles. Then she relented, with a heavy sigh. "Understood. I'll put you in at the start of the next quarter."

"Thank you." Kuroko bowed slightly. "Excuse me, but could I step outside for a bit?"

Riko nodded. "Be back by the time of the third quarter."

Kuroko nodded and walked out of the room, softly closing the door behind him.

Gina wanted to go after him, but paused. Maybe, Kuroko wanted some time alone for a while. It wouldn't be easy reentering the match after what had happened with Aomine. Give him some time to think before you seek him out.

Riko continued to instruct the team, pointing out areas where they needed . Gina didn't pay attention, her thoughts lost on Kuroko. She looked at the area where he had just been standing. What thoughts are going through your head, Kuroko?

Gina continued to stare at the area, and frowned when she noticed something: a discarded jacket. It was too small for anyone else on the team. Oh no. Don't tell me... Gina ambled over and picked the jacket up, checking the name on the tag. She sighed. He did.

"He left his jacket behind," she groaned to Kagami, picking it up and showing it to her fried. If he went outside in just his jersey, he'll freeze! Even just going into the corridors will be cold!

"That idiot," Kagami muttered. He raised his voice, interrupting Riko in the middle of her lecture. "Coach, we need to find Kuroko." Gina lifted the jacket as explanation.

Riko sighed. "What was he thinking?" she grumbled. She checked the time. "There's only five minutes until the third quarter. You may as well go and find him to ensure he gets back on time."

They nodded, and hurriedly left the room to find him.

With no idea where to look, they ended up wandering around the complex, keeping a sharp eye out for their blue-haired friend. They eventually found him outside, leaning over the railing and staring blankly out at the distance.

"You'll get a cold, idiot," Kagami called, tossing the jacket over. Kuroko turned just in time to catch his clothing flying toward him.

"Kagami-kun, Gina," he greeted, shrugging his jacket on.

Gina stepped closer to him, collecting her bravery to grab his hand and squeeze it. "The second half is going to start without you, if you don't get back," she teased lightly.

"Sorry. I'll be there soon."

Silence fell. Gina looked over at Kuroko. He didn't seem to be upset, which was a good sign. He looked more determined than anything. Good. He's recovered. She smiled, glad to see him back to his old self.

"Hey, what were you just thinking?" Kagami asked. "It doesn't look like you need cheering up, but you didn't just out here for some fresh air."

Kuroko still looked to be lost in thought. "Kagami-kun, do you like basketball?"

Kagami blinked. "Huh?"

"I wasn't thinking about anything complicated. I'd do anything to win this game. I have my promise to Momoi-san, but the truth is, I just want to see it again." Kuroko sighed and turned back around, his eyes glued to some point on the far horizon. "Aomine-kun used to always play with a smile," he reflected, almost wistfully. "He truly loved basketball. I don't intend to reject who he is now and condescend to him. I just want to see Aomine-kun play with a smile again. If we win this game, maybe..."

He trailed off, but Gina understood where he was coming from. She bit her lip. Could it happen? If he lost a match, would Aomine come back to himself, realising that he wasn't the strongest player out there?

It was a bit of a stretch, coming just from losing one game, but who knew? One didn't know until it happened.

"It's a lot to hope for," Gina admitted. "But you might just have a chance to make that happen."

"I don't know if winning will change who he is," Kagami agreed. "But losing definitely won't change anything. The only thing we can do is play as hard as we can to win."

"Yeah."

*   *   *

They arrived back just in time to start the next match. Kuroko was put back in the game as discussed

Things had been going relatively smoothly, but over the break Gina knew Momoi had relayed some of her analyses of Seirin's team members to her team; Hyuga's Barrier Jumper was being defended, and everyone had become more aware of Seirin's movements. Imayoshi had even been put on Kuroko, and was effectively able to shut him down. The gap between the teams grew to an eight-goal difference.

But Kuroko's planned Overflow soon came into effect, when everyone on Touou started to notice him. From then on, Kuroko was able to draw the attention of Touou's players to himself, which granted the effects of Vanishing Drive to everyone else on Seirin. 

The break arrived all too soon, with not much difference having being made to the score. But after the final quarter began, Seirin was able to lower the gap to a six goal difference, after an elaborate set up to stop Aomine by Kiyoshi, Kagami and Kuroko. 

The next time Seirin shot at goal, Hyuga was fouled by Sakurai, giving him three free throws. He made them all, the score being dropped down to only one goal difference. Gina felt like screaming. They'd made a comeback, and it was all thanks to Kuroko! No effort is useless, she thought triumphantly.

But something still felt off to her. Aomine hadn't been a part of the set up for the free throw, and she thought he would've been under the net ready to grab any possible rebounds. She had decided not to worry about it, but during the next play, she realised she really should have.

For Aomine was passed the ball, and he sped past Kagami with such a speed, Kagami was still turning around when Aomine reached the goal and scored, his attempt at goal having been completely unchallenged.

Gina's jaw dropped to the floor. What... what the hell was that? She thought she had been watching Aomine play at his best until now... Had he been refraining from using his full talent until now? How could he have possibly moved so quickly that it left Kagami unable to react?

"No way," Riko breathed. "I heard rumours about this state, but to see it with my own eyes..."

Gina leaned forward. "What are you talking about, Riko?"

"Aomine... he's in the zone," Riko responded, her eyes still fixated on the court.

Gina's eyebrows furrowed. "What's the zone?" she asked. Out of all her time in the sporting world, she had never heard of the zone and was baffled by the term, or how it allowed Aomine to move as he'd just done.

"I've never seen it myself before today, but I've heard of it," Riko muttered, sounding very on edge. "Normally, it's impossible for any one person to play at their one hundred per cent during a game; most often, even for top players, they reach their maximum at eighty per cent." Her eyes narrowed. "But it's different in the zone, which is a state of extreme focus. All unnecessary thoughts disappear and the athlete becomes absorbed in their play, allowing them to reach that one hundred per cent and increase the strength of their play. It doesn't happen often, though, only to really talented athletes; athletes such as Aomine, and possibly extending to the rest of the Generation of Miracles."

Gina sucked in a breath, her gaze returning to the court. "So what we're seeing is Aomine's entire strength?" she breathed.

And, seeing Aomine dominate on court, she wasn't surprised. He was fast, faster than she'd seen anyone run before, stealing balls as though it was taking candy from a baby and causing mayhem. No one, not even Kagami, could keep up with him.

Somehow, Seirin still managed to score baskets, but the gap was slowly starting to increase again. On top of that, it looked like Kuroko's Misdirection Overflow was losing effectiveness; Izuki had the ball taken off him while combining with Kuroko.

Nothing's going right! Gina flinched as Riko hurried to call a time out. What can we possibly do against Aomine?

It turned out they couldn't think of much. During their time out, the best decision they came to was to let Kagami handle Aomine. No one else possibly could, so Kagami was their best shot. Gina wished them all luck once more before they headed back out on court, the nerves in her stomach increasing. They had just over three minutes to turn the tide of the game around. 

But she had learned one thing with this team: no matter the odds, nothing was entirely impossible. She had seen them claw their way back from behind when the odds were against them twice, and had known they had done the same in the past.

Despite his best efforts, Kagami still wasn't able to stop Aomine. On top of that, Kuroko's Overflow stopped working entirely. Time had continued to tick, and now there were only two minutes left. Gina's heart was in her throat. If we're going to make a miraculous comeback, now's the time to do it guys! Please, someone, spark something! 

Maybe, her prayers were just about to be answered. 

The ball was in Aomine's hands again, and Kagami . Gina though that Aomine was going to get past Kagami again and, at the beginning, it looked like that was going to happen.

But then, out of nowhere, Kagami was behind Aomine, and stole the ball away.

Riko jumped to her feet. Gina's eyes widened as she watched everything unfold. She could feel a wild strength coming from Kagami, and a sudden increase in intensity, too. 

The intensity, the speed of his play, and his skill... Gina gasped. She had just seen that sort of change in play in Aomine. So this could only mean that...

That Kagami, too, had entered the zone.

"Kagami..." Gina breathed, wide-eyed. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched her friend.

From then on, it was electrifying, to say the least.

The game was left to the hands of the two aces, since no one else had the ability to against them. The two were playing above and beyond anything Gina had seen any player in any sport play before. Neither could get past the other, the ball travelling up and down court as they furiously battled.

The back-and-forth motion lasted over a minute, the clock only continuing to count down so there was just under s minute left. Gina bit her lip and say on the edge of her seat, her hands clutching the hem of her skirt so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

It was then, just when time was really starting to go against them, that any sort of breakthrough was made; Kagami finally was able to break past Aomine and score, leaving Seirin only one basket behind with thirty seconds to go. Gina gasped. They can do this! she thought, dizzy. If they can stop Touou from scoring and score again, they can win this! Hope blossomed in her chest.

And just about disappeared when Aomine scored one of his miraculous formless shots, increasing the gap between the two teams to three again.

No. No. This is bad. Gina bit down on her lip, her body tensing up. "Go, Seirin!" she screamed along with everyone else on the bench. Her eyes flicked anxiously to the time. There were mere seconds on the clock, and they needed to get four points to win.

Understanding the urgency, Seirin's players sped down the court. The ball ended up in Kagami's hands and he jumped, ready to jam the ball through the hoop. 

That was, if Aomine hadn't jumped as well, ready to block the shot. 

There was no way Kagami would be able to score there. Aomine would steal the ball for sure. 

Gina squeezed her eyes shut, almost unable to watch. She heard the whistle blow and opened her eyes, fearing the worst.

Instead of the worst, the sight in front of her was one of the sweetest sights she could have seen. Somehow Kagami had managed to pass to Kiyoshi who had just scored a basket, but had been fouled whilst he did so. With seconds left on the clock, he'd turned a two-point play into a three-point play.

But even if he scored... Seirin would only end up tied, and with the little time on the clock, probably wouldn't have time to score another basket. The game would go into overtime, and they didn't have the strength to play another ten minutes.

The answer came to her. Kiyoshi would deliberately have to miss this, and someone would have to dunk the ball in to get the two points they needed to win.

Gina breathed in deeply, trying to calm herself down. They were cutting things down to the wire. But they could do it; she believed in all of them. They weren't going to give up, she knew that. 

Everyone got set up into the formation, and the umpire passed the ball to Kiyoshi. A heavy silence fell over the stadium as Kiyoshi readied himself to shoot.

Please don't go in, Gina prayed, clutching her hands to her chest as Kiyoshi shot the ball. Please, please don't go in.

It didn't, bouncing off the edge. With a flurry of movement both teams jumped for the ball, Kagami and Aomine reaching it at the same time. For a moment, they struggled in the air for possession of the ball, but Aomine was able to knock the ball away, and the ball went speeding down to the other end of the court. 

"No!" Gina screamed, seeing Imayoshi was already in pursuit of the ball. If he reached it and scored... It really would be over for Seirin.

But, in her panic, her eyes had completely skipped over the smaller, light-haired figure who was after the ball. Gina gasped, hope sparking within her once again when Kuroko reached the ball before Imayoshi could. 

"Kagami-kun!" Kuroko yelled, shooting an Ignite Pass all the way down the court and into Kagami's hands. 

Kagami spun back around to the hoop, and Aomine jumped too, ready to block. Gina's hands flew to her mouth as she watched. Please, Kagami!

And Kagami was able to push through Aomine's block, shoving the ball through the basket.

Gina gasped when the umpire blew the whistle, signifying the end of the match. Her heart beating furiously in her chest as her eyes travelled over to  the scoreboard, hardly daring to believe what had just happened. 

The final score was blazed in red on the screens: 100-101 to Seirin.

They'd... They'd won.

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i'm so sorry for how terrible this is, i was really uninspired for this chapter... (maybe because i just want to get to the next ones). i promise the next chapters will be better... much better, if you catch my drift!
i'm sorry if me writing out the entire game is tedious... but this game had so many gina/kuroko (we need a ship name, everyone!) opportunities that i just had to write it... if you want me to skip over games, let me know in the comments! 
i'm really excited by the upcoming chapters! thank you all for sticking with me so far <3