They knew

that

She was back

***

Don't ask how or why, it's the instinct of basketball players to know when their former teammate returns in another stronger, more formidable form. Especially in this case, she had activated that gate beyond ordinary reach.

Six out of seven of them froze, especially her ex-best friend, Kuroko Tetsuya. His eyes widened as distress washed over him and that's when realization hit.

He realized, after all these years...

that when she said "to get stronger" two years ago,

she was already at a distance from him. she had already shattered. Her heart that is and she was merely putting up an act when saying farewell. She had left because she couldn't take it anymore, her selfish side had awakened. the side that wanted them to acknowledge her, the side that was just like them when they awakened.

I should have realized. Kuroko thought as guilt arose inside him. I felt the same way. I wanted them to acknowledge my style of basketball too. I should've known that she felt the same way. I could've stopped her...

But unlike him, Kuroko always knew Mizushima had the potential of becoming one of them, the talent he never had. He knew... but..

I could have prevented this...

Pent up frustration had turned her into this and he knew deep down but didn't realize until too late, until she had transformed into... this. wretched. psychopath. driven. by. madness.

"Mizushima-san..." He heaved out breathlessly, blown away by shock and hurt and guilt. Kuroko could feel tears at the back of his eyes.

The wind blew across her face as her black silky hair hair came undone in its knots and splattered against her face. The corner of her lips twitched up but the smile like everything else had no warmth or any feelings at all beneath it.

Slowly, she lifted a hand to pull up the hood a little bit, so the top of it wouldn't be resting on her nose but on her head instead to reveal her pair of alluring pinkish red eyes. She still had a fair complexion and looked about the same as the time she had left but internally, she was messed up, her emotions and heart that is. She could never revert back to her old friendly carefree self after taking up this dangerous path.

The negativity around her was too strong. The one to blame being "defeat".

A tear was shed.

Sadness and distrust of anyone reflected upon her eyes as her mouth spread into a fully blooming grin, a bitter and malevolent grin.

"Tet-chan... I'm sorry..." A trace of her old self resurfaced for a split second but then she was drowned within the insanity of this beast. No, she wasn't bipolar.

And as she was put to sleep once more, hostility towards the whole world was all she had left within her. Vengeance, all this new Mizushima Ai lived for.

"Tet-chan. Forgive me, but I'll have to diminish this soft spot of mine for you." She spoke the same words, same meanings but in a different tone, in the most heartbreaking way, without any sincerity to it.

Needless to say, the other 5 former Teiko players were shocked by this drastic change of a cute cheerful basketball lover to a walking cold-blooded demon.

The second most heart-broken one was probably the one and only Aomine Daiki since out of the six, Kuroko and Aomine were the ones who shared the same passion for basketball with her. They were the three who loved the game the most. Before Aomine had awakened that was.

"Mizu..." The words fell out of his mouth as if he was trying to call to the broken pieces of her old self locked within the depth of her blackened 'heart'. "Mizu!" He yelled helplessly.

Gathering up all his courage, Aomine Daiki walked towards her, placing his hands on both her shoulders, shaking her slowly, afraid her thin fragile body without a heart for support would collapse if she was shaken too hard.

"Let go of me."

Mizushima's eyes darkened, slapping his hands away. She had no emotions left for all five generation of miracles.

***

"Hey hey, what's going on?"

"Who are you?"

An idiotic red head stood up and asked, breaking this tense atmosphere with his stupidity. At the start, he was appalled by her strong presence therefore was too busy recovering from awe than to speak up.

"Me?"

Mizushima was taken aback by surprise before pointed at herself and a bitter laugh was let out.

"Ask them." She gestured at her former teammates.

A pause.

"But if you really want to know... I'll tell you

when you've beaten me ."

Her eyes exclaimed in hysteria but her voice remained calm.

"If you won't acknowledge me, I'll force you into it!"

The hurt carved into her face was revolting, but at that moment six members were struck by pain of the same intensity.

***

"Let's face each other at Inter-High."

She dropped off one last sentence before spinning on her heels to leave, splattering her translucent tears everywhere.