Going down on his knees, Haizaki kneeled down even though it was completely against his will. From Akashi's words; His pride or Sakura's life, he showed importance to the girl's life and discarded his pride for her.

"I'm sorry for ridiculing you, I won't do it again. Please forgive me."

"Haizaki-kun...why...?" Mikan says, completely surprised of his submission. The man was captivating Mikan was deeply pleased.

"What was that? Can you repeat it?" The man smirks as Haizaki gritted his teeth in frustration.

The crude man held the gun closer to Mikan's head as Haizaki didn't have much choice but to oblige.

"I'm sorry...please forgive me."

"Fine. Since you've begged so much, I'm not a demon after all."

"...Please release Sakura! She's a complete outsider and isn't involved! Please, don't hurt her, I beg of you."

Tears began rolling down Mikan's cheeks, seeing him beg like that, is breaking her heart.

"No, stop...don't beg..." She mutters, crying bitterly.

"Here's your girl." The man pushed Mikan away as Akashi swift fully caught her in his arms.

Then the man stomped on Haizaki's head on the ground as he was on all fours, begging for forgiveness.

"I knew it. You're apologies aren't enough for the crude things you did to us. I want to batter you down like what you did to us...you won't resist, wouldn't you?" He merciless stomped his head while smirking devilishly. "You did the same, Haizaki, I'm just returning the favor."

Pointing the gun at Haizaki, he was about to pull the trigger when Akashi stepped in the fray.

"He apologized, didn't he? Wasn't that enough?" He says.

"Stay out of this, kid. Or else you're the one that's going to get killed. I'll shoot a hole on your forehead." The man threatens.

"Why don't you try and shoot?" Mikan grabbed Akashi's arm. "What are you saying, Akashi-kun? You're joking aren't you?"

"Stand aside." The red head says as he walked passed Mikan, behind him.

"Now, shoot. Can't you do it?" He says with his trademark smirk.

The man was pissed and he snapped, he pointed the gun at Akashi. "Okay, you asked this boy, I'll shoot just like you say."

Mikan gasp. "N-No! Please don't!"

Before the man could pull the trigger, he looked into Akashi's red eyes, then suddenly he felt a huge weight pulling down his body as he fell on the ground.

That wasn't force...what was that? The man thought as he was on his knees, he was surprised.

"When Haizaki said that you're a scum, I couldn't agree less." Akashi swipe the gun from the man as he pointed it at fallen man.

"You pointed the gun at me and is about to shoot me earlier, you aren't in the position to complain if I did the same thing to you, wouldn't you?"

"W-Wait...stop, please...don't..."

"Begging for your life now? Get a grip on yourself, you're an adult."

"I-I'm sorry..I don't want to die, please don't kill me!"

Akashi observed the man, how pathetic. He was just a worthless scum who was afraid to lose his life.

He was about to pull the trigger when Mikan grabbed his hands and raised the gun up, the bullet fired and it shoot against the ceiling. The man collapsed from the fear of getting shoot, he was now unconscious.

"What do you think are you doing, Sakura?" He says.

"No, what do you think are you doing? Are you trying to kill him?!" She asks. Furious.

"Not at all. I'm just merely trying to scare him." Akashi spoke.

"That's dangerous!" Mikan swipe the gun away from his hands as she threw the gun away from their reach.

"Ouch, that hurts, damn that scum." Haizaki stood up as he rub the back of his head. His forehead was bleeding.

"You're forehead is bleeding a lot! We should get it treated!" Mikan says as she started wiping the blood away with her handkerchief.

"I can handle this. Don't touch me." Haizaki gruff. Trying to get her hands off him.

"B-But..." She says, looking at his wounded forehead.

"It's my forehead! Not yours! Stop concerning!" With that, Mikan stopped tending Haizaki's forehead.

I was just trying to help. Since you've helped me a lot... she thought.

"Sakura." Akashi called as the girl turned around and he gave her something. "You dropped it."

"Oh, my ribbons! Thank you! I thought I lost them..." She says as she began tying her hair when Akashi stopped her.

"Let me." He says as Mikan oblige and gave him the ribbons.

Akashi began tying her hair using the red polkadot ribbons.

    Flashback

    "Your hair smells nice." I said to a girl who is near my age as I was tying her hair.

"Really? Thanks." After tying her hair, I added an accessory to make her look more better.

"Red Polkadots?" She says, looking at the ribbon tied on her hair at the mirror.

"Yeah. I think the ribbon fits you." I commented. "Do you...not liked it?"

"No, that's not it." She says as she turned around and smiled at me.

Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me, it made me bewildered.

"Thank you, Seijuro! I really love the ribbons!"

    "It's all done." Akashi says as Mikan turned around and smiled at him. "Thanks a lot, Akashi-kun."

    "No problem." He smiled back.

    Then suddenly, they heard multiple footsteps closing in. Judging from their footsteps, they were a lot of them approaching.

    "You said that it was only three men who kidnapped you, Sakura!" Haizaki hissed as he was in wary.

    "Yes, they are only three." She says.

    "We have to stay alert." Akashi stated as the two nodded in reply.

    The footsteps has gotten heavier and approaching, they were expecting another band of bad guys but....

    "SAKURA-CHII~!"

    A loud voice boomed throughout the place and Mikan was greeted by a huge hug by the one and only Kise.

    "I MISS YOU SO MUCH~" He says while rubbing his cheek against hers, hugging her tightly.

    "Huh? Kise-kun? What are you doing here...?" Mikan asked, surprised.

    "So this were you've guys went. We were searching for you." Another voice says, it was Satsuki's.

    "Seriously, don't make us worry like that." Aomine stated.

    "I agree. What are you three doing at this rundown place? It's so shady in here." Midorima commented negatively.

    "I'm so tired and hungry! Let's go back, I wanna eat!" Murasakibara groaned.

    "Oi Haizaki, you bastard!" Nijimura began beating the battered silver haired boy. "Where have you been?! Stop causing problems for Sakura!"

    "Ouch! Stop it!" Haizaki groaned in pain as the others sweat dropped from the scene in front of them. Nijimura is merciless.

    "I've been meaning to ask but, why is Sakura-san wearing Haizaki-kun's shirt?" Kuroko asked, pointing at the shirt that Mikan's wearing.

    Kise loosens up and lets go of Sakura and began to take a look on her clothes, it's true, she was wearing Haizaki's t-shirt.

    "W-W-What's the meaning of this, Sakura-chii?!" Kise wailed into tears.

    "Damn it, Haizaki! What did you do to Sakura?! I'll beat you up!" Aomine yells, also surprised.

    "I'm already on it, Aomine." Nijimura stated, still beating down Haizaki into pulp.

    "I-It was a long story...but nothing happened between us, it's not what you guys are thinking!" Mikan explained.

    "Long story short, she was kidnapped, the end." Akashi stated.

    The rest of the gang was silence. They were surprised.

    "WHAT? KIDNAPPED?!"

    "Y-Yes, I guess...?" Mikan began laughing nervously, while lightly scratching her cheek.

    "Let me guess, this is Haizaki's fault, isn't it?" Nijimura sighed.

    "How come it's all my fault? Why are you passing me the blame?!" Haizaki complaint.

    "Simply, Haizaki." Akashi started. "Sakura was persuading you to come back and practice, but you didn't. You left her alone and she was kidnapped by scums, that's why."

    "I-It's not Haizaki-kun's fault, please don't blame him..." Mikan says. "It's my fault for being weak, I'm sorry for worrying everybody."

    "I-I'm also sorry, Sakura." Haizaki apologized, feeling guilty.

    "You're not hurt, are you?" He asks the orange haired girl.

    "No, I'm not. You protected me after all. Thank you very much." She answered honestly.

    "No problem...if only I didn't resists earlier, you wouldn't be in danger." He stated.

    "No, it's fine. Everyone makes mistakes. Don't worry." She just smiled.

    "I guess that's it. Just be careful next time, Shogo-kun." Kise stated.

    "Yeah. Listen to Sakura next time will you?" Aomine scratched the back of his head, lazily.

    "Yeah, yeah, whatever." Haizaki growled as they started walking back to school, to the gym.

♛♛♛

After practicing a bit, they started wrapping up the supplies and then started heading home. Meanwhile, Mikan was carrying documents to be passed to their couch. She was walking through the dim corridors when she accidentally eavesdropped an conversation.

" ...Please make Akashi Seijuro as the team captain. "

She stopped in her tracks and thought that it was a bit rude to just enter the faculty room, so she decided to wait.

"I don't get it. You also suggested Akashi to be the vice-captain last year, when he was only a first year.

"Both the couch and I sensed his potential so we made an exception and allowed it..."

"Why are you in such a hurry to relinquish your spot to him?"

Huh? Akashi-kun is going to be the captain? Mikan thought, surprised.

"My father's been in the hospital since last spring. His condition's stable now, but they're unsure what'll happen by the nationals." Nijimura started.

"And if something happens, I'll throw everything aside, even mid game, and head to the hospital. Even if it doesn't, if I heard his condition worsened, I probably couldn't play calmly." He added.

" What are you doing ? "

Turning around and to see the future captain of the basketball team, Akashi, who also seem to have business with the couch.

"Akashi-kun...good work. I'm just here to give these documents to Sanada-san." Mikan replied.

"Is that so? Good work as well." Akashi returned the compliment.

"I love basketball, and accepting my father's condition was scary. That's why I couldn't bring it up until now. I'm really sorry." Nijimura ended.

"All right. I'll relay this to the coach." Sanada stated as Nijimura left the faculty silently.

Walking out of the faculty, he saw Akashi and Mikan outside.

"Oh, it's you both, Akashi and Sakura." Nijimura greeted.

"Hello, Nijimura-senpai." Mikan smiled, greeting him back.

"Hey." Akashi replied, nonchalantly.

"Wait, you two overheard, didn't you?" Nijimura scrunched his forehead, feeling sour.

"Just the last bit." Akashi said.

"I'm sorry...I heard everything." Mikan apologized.

"It can't be helped." Nijimura sighed. "It's fine...it's bound to be known anyways."

"Um, I'll just give these to Sanada-san. If you two would excuse me." Mikan entered the faculty and left the two boys outside.

"And so — It's a bit early, but you're the captain from now on, Akashi."

"It hasn't been decided yet."

"Sure it has. You gonna force me to stay as captain after hearing all that?"

There was a moment of silence as Nijimura observed Akashi's reaction, he was feeling restless.

"Feeling uncertain?" The former captain asked.

"No. I'm merely worried about you, Nijimura-san." Akashi replied.

"Figures." Nijimura smiled. "That's why I'm not worried at all...

...I have faith in you, Akashi."

⇜♡⇝

Hajime: I feel so inspired, haha. How's the chapter? Comment your thoughts ^_^