VOTE & COMMENT!

THEN

Time seemed like slow disorted images for the Anna within her next year. She has lost her spark. Ever since she had moved up a year classes were lonely. Lunches had consisted of her remaining mute and the closest she had gotten to anyone was Jesse or Theresa.

Anna was prompted by the school headmaster to join the court/debate team ever since her father had personally flown in to discuss her academic movement. And as for the basketball team, they had managed to remain in the top five teams for girls basketball at a middle school level.

Himuro had moved back to Japan a month ago, where Anna had gave him an akward goodbye at the terminal.

Light had poured softly and sifted through the lacing of the curtains gently. Emerald eyes had slowly opened, blinking as a blurry vision slowly cleared up. Groaning she stretched her arm to the side table for her phone and checked the time.

7:30. Ew.

Too early she groaned in her head. "Anna! Hey kiddo!" she heard Kensho's voice coming louder, assuming he was walking up her room. The moment Kensho opened her door he had earnt himself another loud groan from the female.

"Hey, Anna I thought you said you were going to go surfing with me last night. You're exams are over," he leaned against the door frame.

"Dead. Tired," she robotically said in a groggy tone.

"Well, that's what you get from watching romance movies-,"

"I'm a stupid hopeless romantic," she groaned.

"uh-huh," he chuckled as he made his way to her bed. "Come on, kiddo. the first few days of the holidays you've been couped up in side and its been so nice and sunny. Let's go!" he dragged her by the ankles as she yelped.

"Alright! Alright I'm up, I'm up!"

---

Ever since Taiga had moved back Kensho's life had been lonely. Anna had picked up on this despite him trying to put a happy face on. His work life had kept him busy and whenever he had returned home the house was empty if Anna was at boarding school. Early morning surfs were quiet and no late night game pick ups on the weekend were terribly akward leaving him with extra time to himself. His ex-wife was in Japan, living her own life and from what Anna had known off Taiga, his father and mother used to be terribly close to one another throughout highschool till university.

But ever since Kensho's work life had lead him to America, his wife had prompted their stay back in Tokyo. The first few years of their marriage was alright but lead to an ultimate rocky relationship on trying to maintain a long distance relationship and Kensho trying to fly in out of America. Eventually when Taiga was five they had filed for a simple and civil divorce as the two of them split ways.

Hirose noticed over the time of her stay that despite only living with him for almost two years Taiga and his father were incredibly similar. Their personalities were practically the same except Kensho being more diplomatic than an excentric Taiga.

"The waves are a bit bigger than I expected," the elder comments, squinting his eyes towards the horizon. "Will you be alright?"

"Yeah, I think so," she replies back holding her hand flat out on top of her forehead, sheilding her eyes from the sun's glare.

"We won't go out to far," he affirms and starts paddling out. Anna follows and catches the wave after Kensho. It's not as high as his but it's a decent size. She stands up and finds her balance and shifts her weight. The female does a deep crave and snaps as light shilouette's her body from the wave glistening with the sun rising.

She manages to maintain enough balance till the wave's size shrink slowly in size until within a few good meters from the shore and falls off. Getting back on her board she catches her breath and sees Kensho paddling towards her.

"Not bad, you're getting better," he smiles. Ever since her stay, she had slowly immersed herself with the family's interest. It had taken a good three months to convince Anna to try out surfing. The first few days were a bit rocky, she could manage to stay on the board thanks to her past experience with gymnastics but her timing was off. It wasn't till the next holidays she had gotten the hang of it and started to surf with Taiga and his father and eventually just him and her.

"Yeah, my snaps are getting better," she prods, watching Kensho squint his eyes every now and then from the sun's glare. He looks to Anna and evalutes to himself she had changed physically since her first arrival.

She was taller, though a decent height for her age and environment he knew she would be the tallest when she would return back to Japan. Her skin had now been wrapped with a glowing tan that contrasted greatly from her pale complexion when he first picked her up in the airport, bringing out her eyes and hair. And ever since she had invested herself into sports she was toned with an atheletic-lean look to her making her look more American than your average Japanese female.

"You're father called," Kensho brings up catching her off guard.

"What did he want?" she inquires.

"He wants you to come back to Tokyo, since you finished," he looks to her with her quiet expression. "Anna?"

"Yeah?"

"I can talk to him if you want-, if you want to stay here..." he offers. She looks at him, knowing his expression well.

"But?" she eludes.

"But the thing is Anna... to be honest I'm not sure if you are happy here," Kensho says. "Before Taiga moved-, yes you seemed really happy but... now-. Look I don't know what's better on terms of what you prefer, if you feel happier here or Japan."

"To be honest I don't know." She adjusts her on her board, with her back lying on the board.

Kensho tilts his head and smiles at the female with a chuckle escaping his lips. "What's on your mind?"

"You're playing therapist again," she teases.

"Well, I'm a good listener. That's why I'm so good at my job," he winks in a joking manner.

Anna looks to him and then back at the sky, resting her hands on her stomach. "Honestly I don't know where I should go. I had friends... friends really close that made feel like a family. It kinda made up for the one I didn't have back home."

Home was a strange and funny word that ran out of her mouth that meant no value to her. What was supposed to be sweet tasted like nothing.

"But as we grew up, fell out and things led to another and here we are," Anna explained. "I love it here. Don't get me wrong but as much as I want to go back to Japan I don't have anyone."

"You know," Kensho sighed as he too lied down on his board. "I felt lost too. My parents were busy, I grew up more with my friends. Highschool, we fell out. Met Taiga's mum, she was practically my home. Then we had Taiga. Light of my life. But when I had the oppurtunity here I wanted to bring Taiga's mum here she knew that her home wasn't here it was back in Tokyo. She and I couldn't see eye to eye as much as we tried.

For me I never felt home back in Japan. My mind was so... how do you say American. You see I grew up here first, and when I moved to Tokyo for the first time when I was ten I felt so out of place. For me home was always here but it I knew my ex-wife had another home, with her family back in Tokyo. But when her parents died, she needed Taiga. So, I had to let him go, regardless. My ex-wife never grew up without someone the way I did. She needs someone. What I'm saying is Anna home can be more than one person or place.

And you're gut or heart will always know best. Sometimes, regardless of what happened before you know where home is. Trust yourself. It might take a while to figure it out but I think you know where you should be. Give it a chance."

Give it a chance the words ring in her head.

"You know what you remind me of?"

Anna turns to him with a curious look on her face. "Who?"

"The cheshire cat from Alice and Wonderland."

"I feel like more of an Alice."

"Anna," he gets up, sitting on the board. "I've seen you and heard stories about you as well. You're like a guider-, a guiding spirit for everyone you meet despite you knowing. You're the glue-. You know how white is all of the colours of the rainbows basically?"

"Uh yeah..."

"You're white. You're the glue, you lead others to a better version of themselves and you don't even know it. When white is refracted you see all the colours shine in their own way," he tries to explain but stops when he sees Anna' discombulated expression. "You'll get it one day or perhaps not, but I can garuntee that someone will see it for you."

Someday you'll see.

NOW

For the longest time, Anna knew Akashi Seijuro the best. She could describe the old Akashi's smile, the satisfied smirk or when he was thinking. She knew his favourite food tofu soup and that he hated pickled ginger and seaweed in his soup. She knew his true laugh because every time she got flustered or did something that made her annoyed he would laugh softly at her.

But most of all she knew his eyes, how calm they could look and you would never know if they were staring or calculating. When she arrived back in Japan from America and saw Seijuro's picture for the first time she didn't know who it was and refused to know them. But the moment she had seen those same eyes, the sound of her chair being abruptly pushed back from her standing up and her eyes drawn in pure shock to nostalgia.

"Sei," she breathed out the name like a forgotten dream that had suddenly become so clear and vivid. Ogiwara sees the smile on her face form and the way her eyes look at him, "I need to go," she declares, picking up her white coat and hastily putting her arms through the sleeves.

"Go where?!" his friend exclaims.

"I've got a promise to fulfill, and I always keep my word," Anna chuckles, "I need to go to the Tokyo basketball stadium."

"I'm with you!" the brunette abruptly gets up from the seat and the skidding of the floor echoes even through the busy-sounding room.

"It's snowing, and you're never going to make it in time. It takes at least ten minutes to get there by foot!"

"Who says we're walking?" Ogiwara grins.

---

Akashi Seijuro is both beautiful and dangerous, and with his old self back he was simply terrifying but alluring in all his glory. From the former team that made up Teiko's golden team and now the divided Generation of Miracle to the basketball team of Seirin was taken back by the awakening of the red-haired captain's true form.

"-he's almost certainly stronger than before," Kuroko had warned his teammates with a dead-serious look written across his face. He knew far too well if this Akashi was the same as he was in middle school and how long had passed, it would be split by a single strand of hair if they would win or lose. Akashi was not only perhaps the most dexterous of the Generation of Miracles out of sheer skill or force and strength, but out of the way he brought not only the best of himself but in everyone.

In other words, Kagami grinned whilst wiping the sweat from his forehead, the real game starts now.

Akashi begins his advance and is met with Taiga, he then takes with his left hand and slowly fakes to pass back to throw off Izuki but then quickly recoils and passes it to his blonde teammate. Hanamaya, being passed the form with enough spacing grins as he recognizes his captain's motives and smirks.

Kiyoshi frowns, recognizing that his offense is in his best form as he struggles to reach for the ball with Hanamaya turning going for a layup, and scores. Rakuzan continues to go on their winning streak with Akashi changing the flow of the game single handily through his teammates, the team regaining their composure putting Seirin and Riko in a tight spot as she struggles to make the next move for the team.

Each of the previous teams begins to admire and finally put the pieces together with Akashi. Tōō's captain, smirks as he surveys the previous play. "As a point guard myself, he looks like a monster to me," he continues to say to his teammates.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Shutoku watches managing to place third in the Winter Cup with Takao saying "high-speed passes from a still position. The ability to dribble without looking at his hands. Total vision of the court."

"At first glance, it looks like Akashi's making assists," Kaijo's captain also comments to his kouhai, "As Akashi's teammates receive his passes, their movements improve.

"Perfect passes create perfect rhythm," Midoriama also comments to his teammates. He's not the backbone, he was the conductor he says to himself. "Akashi's Emperor Eye sees opponents and allies alike. He easily makes what should be impossible passes look like child's play, whilst drawing out the full potential of his teammates."

Despite what should be a wave of shock, Midoriama looks nonchalantly down at the court seeing not only Akashi in the Zone but his teammates as well. Seirin all stare in awe and a wave of the uncertainty of a win for them

"We're just getting started," Kagami glares at Akashi.

Akashi only chuckles and gives him an imposing look, "Relax. This game won't turn out the way you fear it will. I've simply returned to my previous state. I won't dramatically change anymore," he scaringly reassures. "However, the same can't be said for the other four," he grins as Seirin looks to his fellow teammates behind him all entering a state that mirrors similar to the Zone.

"The Zone is attainable by the Generation of Miracles and Kagami's class," Tsuchida from the bench exclaims. "Only a few prodigies can enter it."

"That's not a complete Zone," Riko intervenes. "Akashi's drawn out their potential to a level approaching the Zone. It's only possible because they're the Uncrowned Kings," she explains.

"What are we supposed to do?" Koganei expresses with deep concern, believing there was no hope left for their team. The rest of the audience believes it too, as they watch Rakuzan utterly thrash Seirin and dominate the court as the members of Rakuzan pull out their best moves.

What should we do? Hyuga says looking around at his teammates who all begin to look exhausted, This is getting bad.

We're suffocating.

---

"SEE WE'RE ALMOST THERE!" Ogiwara yells, pointing to the stadium closer in sight as the three figures dash down the street, being illuminated by the reappearance of lamposts.

"You don't just half the time to be taken to get there because we're going RUN!" the ravenette yells falling just behind him and Anna.

"Hirose-kun thinks it's a brilliant plan!" Ogiwara grins as the female's jaw drops and irks.

"I thought you meant someone was driving us!" she yelled out of breath.

"Don't winge the two of you, we're all athletes!"

"How are you still friends with him?!" Anna turns to Mochida.

"I seriously don't know," he replies blatantly.

"HEY!" Ogiwara fires looking back at his friend as he turns back to the front and smiles. "Look at the stairs!" he exclaims as the trio all exchange looks and nods. Almost gliding up the stairs, the trio stop to catch their breath, as they pant like dogs on a hot summer's day putting their hands on their knees.

"We should head for the balcony view," Ogiwara declares.

"There should be five minutes to go," Mochida looks at his watch.

"I'm going to head for the entrance to the court," Anna says as the three nod and part ways. The white-haired female runs, the reflection of her figure in the empty lobby's tiles are paired with the sound of her feet as she turns for the hallway where she is met by officials.

"Excuse me miss, you can't enter here. The viewing is back there and up the steps in the lobby," the female said in an orderly manner.

"I'm Seirin's manager," Anna's breath was heavy but gave them a strong composed look. The female official looks to her shift mate. "You can check the system if you want," she states, "my name is there. Please miss, I ran a great deal to get here."

The female officer gets out her iPad and scrolls through the teams. Meanwhile, the male officer standing adjacent to his colleague looks at the female. She certainly looks out of breath. "Miss, even if you are their manager, I've seen the previous games and you weren't present."

Fuck, right Anna cusses. What do I do? She thinks and quickly came up with something."It says in the guidelines that a manager doesn't have to be solely present in all games. But I was present in regionals," Anna lies convincingly. She knew that the manager had to be present in some games, and regionals were connected to entering nationals so it still abided. And since it was barely filmed, they couldn't check. "Even if I was lying to you, we can call a technical time out and confirm with the coach." It would give them a quick break.

"The system says Hirose Anna, there's her student's ID here," the female officer said looking up.

"We'll confirm with the judges and call the team's coach," the male said and then began to talk into his walkie-talkie.

Just wait for me you guys Anna says.

---

All hope was lost. Seirin were pushed beyond their limits and Akashi was improving Rakuzan's performance. It's over Riko anguished bitterly looking around her exhausted players. In the midst of the silence doors from the top could be heard swinging wide as a familiar brunette and his friend behind raced to the railing.

Ogiwara gripped the railing and leaned forward as far as he could and shouted from the top of his lounges.

"YOU CAN DO IT, KUROKO! DON'T GIVE UP!"

In the midst of the silence and despair, the voice echoes sonorously and clearly as the blunette's eyes widen in shock, craning his neck around to see his primary school friend standing there with a familiar determined grin plastered on his face.

Everyone looks at him, Taiga looks up in recognition of the familiar name his friend breathes out as Akashi stares up face recognizing him instantly from when they played him in the national finals in their final Teiko year.

Ogiwara then bobs down and picks up a basketball and holds it pridefully with a smile. Let's play again Kuroko remembers those exact words from the end of his primary school years with the matching expression on his face he reenacts.

He starts to tear up, with a smile cracking out of the once hopeless despairing look, and chuckles at his friend's efforts.

Up in the audience Aomine only scoffs, "Sheesh, I can't watch this," he gets up as Momoi on his left looks at her male friend with a confused look. "What are you d-?"

"Tetsu! Kagami!" Aomine shouts loudly as everyone whips their heads to the person in the audience shouting, "You beat us, didn't you?! If you don't beat Rakuzan, I'm going to kill you!"

Taiga stares wide-eyed, taken back by Aomine's .... form of support for his team. The arrogant almighty ace of Tōō not only cheered for them, but he admitted Seirin beat them, in front of everyone.

"Aomine..." he trails.

"Just so you know, so will I!" Kise joins in found standing with his teammates, "Win Seirin!" he cheers.

"Beat Akashi! Beat Rakuzan!" Midoriama abruptly yells too, startling everyone with his showmanship of support as his is voice followed by others, all past teams and others who are watching the game chant in support uplifting the team who gaze upon the spiraling sea of support.

Izuki's eyes widen suddenly, in the corner of his eyes he sees a familiar silhouette leaning against the wall arms crossed with a wide Cheshire grin placed upon their lips.

---

When Anna is let through and waits for her name to be announced, she had thought she would be met by the familiar sound of dribbling and shouts of a normal basketball court. But, as she passes from the cold hallway to the entrance to the court she had no idea she would be washed over with the warm loud cheers of support for Seirin.

Every team they had ever met or faced had at least one member shouting in support for them as the team, all circled gazed in awe into the crowd as they showered with exclaims and shouting. Perhaps, in the longest time, a familiar grin crawls up her lips like a long-lost treasure.

She leans against the wall, arms crossed with soft eyes at the reaction of her teammates as light slices a clean diagonal cut of her. She waits and sees Izuki turns to her surprised to see her. Anna only winks with a light chuckle escaping her lips and nudges her head to the side to gesture the direction to the judges.

He turns his head and attention as a person whispers into the judge's ear as he nods. The official steps back and the judge stands up and talks into the mini microphone.

"May I have your attention please," his voice is loud and clear silencing the stadium once again and everyone turns to him. "I would like to welcome Seirin's manager to the court. A two-minute time-out will be initiated after her announcement. Seirin highschool basketball manger. Hirose Anna."

The name echoes violently to all the members of the generation of miracles. Aomine smirks and looks to Momoi who grips the back of the seat in front of her waiting for her former co-manager to come out of the shadows. Rakuzan's members for the first time see their captain freeze and with soft yearning, eyes turn as his legs and feet become stuck to the ground to see a grown-up white-haired female emerge.

He watches, as if in slow motion with everything blurring out behind her. The hair, which he admired most about her bounced effortlessly as Anna dressed in black with a white coat walked forward. She was grown-up. Her body had matured, her face was prominent with delicate cheekbones, and her skin tanned which brought out her eyes with the same look he loved full of determination and mystery.

"Anna..." he breathes out in full of awe.

Anna stops, far in the opposite direction but both are aligned with one another. She freezes and looks at him with the same expression. He's taller, Anna said to herself. She had always been slightly taller than him. He's grown too she looked at his mature features, he was toned yet slim and that brought out his sharp jawline and eyes.

All had stopped when Anna had turned her head back around to her teammates as her face carved a way for a small smile, with the female running up to her teammates and hugging them.

"Anna-san!" Kuroko smiled letting go of her from his embrace. Anna looked up at the players surrounding her.

"I made a promise, didn't I?" she smirked. "So, you ready?" she questions her team as all of them nod in unison. She stretches out her hand in the middle, looking around at her friends as they all smile and add their hands on top of hers.

"Seirin... FIGHT!"

---

The fight is vigorous, with both teams tired but neither is ready to give up. It is at that moment, Kagami stops and looks at Anna who gives a gentle nod, knowing the key for the male opening the 2nd door to the Zone.

You open that second door, not by yourself Anna says.

-But with others, Kagami finishes.

Kagami, swallowed deep into the zone enters the direct drive zone. Anna signals to her players with small brief eye contact movements to scatter the team in order to maintain Kagami's direct zone. Anna relies on nothing more than faith in her teammates, she had struggled with them, laughed with them and studied with them to know well enough the immense amount of trust they have in each other.

Her intuition is rewarded, Kagami quickly passes the ball to Kiyoshi, who immediately switches the direction of the ball, creating an opening for Kagami as he dunks it ferociously leaving everyone shocked by the sheer force of Seirin's zone.

"tch, showoff," Anna scoffs shaking her head at the old play Kagami and her use to play back in their streetball games.

Seirin's captain faces Mibuchi as he goes for a Heaven shot. Hyuga tries to block it but realizes the former faked him. Going past Hyuga, Mibuchi tries to shoot again, but Akashi shouts at him to pass. Mibuchi falls into the trap set up by Kagami, attempting to block. Annoyed, the ravennette passes to Nebuya as Anna gets up and yells Kuroko's name for the open window as Kuroko heads in for a steal.

Hyuga with the ball leads Seirin in a counter-attack as he passes the ball to Kagami who dexterously passes Hanamaya and number five as he then passes to Hyuga at a lightning pace. Hyuga about to make the shot is distracted by a block, letting the ball too early as it bounces off the rim.

"It's getting really intense," Tsuchida comments on the edge of his seat with his hands rubbing up and down his knees anxiously.

"I know what you mean," Anna replies, "But our coordination is almost flawless, we have a really good chance-,"

Her sentence fails to finish when she finds Kagami on the ground and Akashi making a three-pointer shot, as the sound of the ball going through the hoop echoes mockingly at Seirin.

"Heichou..." Koganei turns to the manager overwhelmed with worry.

"I know," she gulps. "Although our chances are great... our only flaw is that our team is inexperienced compared to a team like Rakuzan." Her eyes draw their way to the scoreboard. there only less than forty seconds on the clock and Seirin are six points behind.

Akashi yells for his team to go into defense, nothing new from a strategy Akashi use to use back in their first year of Teiko. They would fight to keep the opposition from any chance for scoring any more points.

It's a showdown, Seirin continues to fight managing to score a three-pointer from Kagami. Twenty seconds left on the clock. Anna gets up from her seat going full NBA coach mode as she yells for her teammates to reform. She looks at Izuki and nods, signaling him to stay in his place and not be distracted by the commotion.

Find that opening Izuki Anna bites her lip. As Mibuchi passes to Nebuya, Izuki goes for the steal, as he passes to Hyuga. "Take the shot!" she exclaims as her eyes widen as her captain replicates Minbuchi's shot, pulling a foul as the ball goes in.

"He made the three!" Riko shakes Anna's shoulders. "He gets a miracle throw!"

Everyone was anticipating for that singgle moment. The siund of the ball dribbling echoes like sound ringing clear and loud in a guitar as it is strummed in a quiet room. Seirin's coach and manager hold onto each other. Teams line up, leaving a path for Hyuga as he sets up for the free throw.

This is it Anna grips her eyes to the movement on the player's hands. It all came down to this moment. The ball is throne, feeling like forever as she slowly watches the orange ball hit the rim and bouces off.

"Rebound!" everyone screams as like vultures to a carcass they all leap for it like wild animals.

3

Kiyoshi gets the ball

2

Kuroko is passed the ball

1

He shoots it in as Kagami is ready and dunks it in with all his might with a victorious battle cry ringing like music. Tears roll down Anna's eyes as she looks to the scoreboard as it is changed.

106 - 105 in favour of Seirin. The silence only welcomes loud rapturous scremas rippling from the court to the crowd. Anna and the rest of the member from the bench gets up and screams in joy. Golden streamers are popped as confetti comes trikling down like snowflakes.

After jumping and yelling with her teammates Riko taps her shoulder and points to Kuroko's direction. Anna turns her head and widens her eyes at Akashi smiling genuinely as he shakes his hand in congratulations. Her emerald eyes glisten, with her expression softening as a memory of her and Akashi gushes back to her the first time they met and shake hands. It was the afternoon after the two of them played together and exchanged names.

It seems time had quickly past with the female stuck in the past, with the time she snaps out of her thoughts the teams line up for the final time. When the official walks up the giant golden trophy glistening in all its glory Taiga looks to Anna with a tired yet triumphant expression on his face. Anna offers him a wink as she claps making Taiga smirk, turning his attention back to his teammates as Hyuga recieves the trophy.

She turns to Riko who is struggling to wipe her tears from her face making the white-haired female chuckle. "Need a tissue?" Anna offers holding one she had fished out from her pocket. "Yes please," she barely expresses and blow her nose.

The closing ceremony ends after the whole of Seirin basketball team take their last photos. The team disperses, Anna looks around filled with warmth with her teammates win.

"thank you Anna-san," Kuroko walks up from behind making his friend jerk a little.

"I'm a person of my word," Anna says and raises a brow when Kuroko's attention seems drawn behind her. She turns around and spots Akashi from the distance looking at her as if he was summoning the courage to go talk to her.

"You should go to him," he says.

"Oh I will." Anna makes her way confidently through the crowd, past her team and the Rakuzan memebers who are off-guard by the Seirin's manager heading straight for their captain. Akashi's eyes widen as a smile that suprises his teammates makes its way across his face like a child in a candy store. Akashi opens his mouth and say:

"Anna-!,"

A loud SLAP echoes across the room as the room falls silent in shock. The last thing anyone heard after the ripple of gasps was the loud high-pitched shreech from Mibuchi as they fainted.

OMG SGQVKDHGQCD I'M BACK!

A 30.5 will be posted because I could not fit everything I orignally wanted into the chapter. And a few spin offs will also be added before ending act 1 and onto act 2.

Anyways thoughts?

Don't forget to comment and vote, i really worked my ass off on this chapter! Also if I made any grammar mistakes please comment. I only did quick proof read.