A/N: Hello readers! Sweat and Sour is basically a one-shot collection of SatsukixGoM. Some may be romantic, others more platonic depending on the context. Most will probably be platonic though unless I somehow think of a plot fitting for romance xD This one-shot collection may or may not follow canon events.

Genres will vary, but the stories will mainly explore the depths of Satsuki's character and how her various relationships with the GoM affects her, as with how they affect the GoM members themselves (to some extent). There'll be some fluff too.

I accept requests! In fact I highly encourage them lol. But I write based on inspiration ; u ;

1. Strength in Fragility [slight angst, coming-of-age, one!sided kuromomo, follows canon]

The law of the universe dictates that change is a constant and the constant is ever changing. And try as you may, you can't defy the law. You can only accept it and change with the change.

At least, that's what experience tells her.

Spring is the season for hope, rebirth, sakura blossoms and love.

It also signifies change.

But Satsuki liked to ignore the latter in favour of the former.

"Tetsu-kun!"

It had been a while since that day of 1s. Many things changed, such as the lack of Ki-chan's laughter, Dai-chan's smelly shirt, Muk-kun's mountains of snacks and the sudden apparent apathy of their captain. Still, many things stayed the same, such as Midorin's unyielding passion for shooting (and indifference to the current predicament) as well as Tetsu-kun.

Tetsu-kun remained the same, didn't he?

She had pounced on him like she did any other day, as a reminder to her that in this world, constants exist too. However, there was no reassuring warmth; only foreign coldness replaced its stead. There was no more 'Momoi-san, I can't breathe…' or even 'Sorry, but please get off, Momoi-san'. Tetsu-kun only stood still, an emotionless doll whose mind was far off in the distance.

He had murmured then, "I hate basketball." His tone was monotonous as ever, but there was a biting edge to his voice.

He was trembling.

That was when Satsuki realised.

Ah, even Tetsu-kun changes too.

Yet, she couldn't blame him because to survive, one can only change with the change or risk being destroyed entirely.

She pat Tetsu-kun's shoulder softly. There was nothing she could say, even when she felt something wet stain her uniform. Her brain scanned through the mass statistics stored inside, searching for a solution. Statistics helped her analyse and understand players of all kinds. They gave her stability in this rapidly changing world. But no amount of information she recalled could allow her to tell him 'it's okay; they'll be back'. Information allowed prediction of the future, not restoration of the past.

Her fingers quivered slightly. Her friends were breaking down, yet she could do nothing to help. How useless was she?

For once, she wished to be the change instead of letting change run its course.

She was walking home alone. The streets were the same, yet they weren't. Not without a couple of friends.

This time round, the cherry blossoms had bloomed with petals scattering about, a haven in the midst of the troubled city.

Satsuki sucked in a breath.

She had never liked cherry blossoms.

Sure, she liked flowers, cherries and pink, but not together. When you have too many of the beautiful things, all that is too good to be true.

At least, that's what experience tells her.

And she knew she was right every time summer came near the corner and the cherry blossoms withered away, their traces of beauty disappearing as soon as they came.

So the sight of these cherry blossoms didn't exactly comfort her; instead, seeds of worry were planted into her heart. Every beautiful thing would fade with time, including their happiness, passion and love. Was there any way to rewind back to the past, when all of them were just smiling together?

In a distance, she thought she could hear laughter. She thought she could hear Midorin's gruff voice. She thought she could hear Muk-kun's chewing noises as he stuffed his face into snacks. She thought she could hear Ki-chan jumping on Tetsu-kun again. She thought she could hear a loud 'whack', probably coming from Dai-chan who hit Ki-chan for being stupid. And even if Akashi-kun was rarely with them, she thought she could sense his silent and intimidating presence as he flipped through one of his mind-boggling books.

She thought she could see Tetsu-kun smile again.

But this time, she was alone on the crossroads—the point where they had once converged, and now diverged.

She could only stifle muffled sobs, as she walked back home, alone.

Graduation had ended, and nothing had changed. Ironically, Satsuki wanted the change to change—back to normal. When Akashi-kun had called the members of the Generation of Miracles back to the basketball court, she thought that might happen, as impossible as it seemed. But then Dai-chan had told her later that they were making some stupid oath about becoming the best.

Satsuki had stomped her feet, yelling, "Aomine-kun, you idiot!" Then, she stalked off, sulking, but also glancing back. There was no navy-haired figure chasing after her. He was probably done with all her nonsense.

She redirected her attention to her surroundings. There was faint giggling, chattering and hushed goodbyes. Wind whizzed past her, rustling leaves and bringing away forgotten memories.

She was alone.

…She had to find Tetsu-kun.

There was a flurry of steps. She went to the basketball court, the gymnasium, the library, but there was no boy with a presence as thin as a ghost and hair reminiscent of a sky blue. The sun was setting, its golden rays scorching the horizon, light soon fading into darkness.

Swallowing the lump that had formed on her throat, she turned back. After middle school, she was going to Too Academy, following Dai-chan, her stupid childhood friend whom she just couldn't take her eyes off. This means she couldn't see Tetsu-kun again… at least for a very long time.

Of course, she wanted to join him in Seirin. She couldn't leave him the way he had been the last time she saw him. But Tetsu-kun had always been able to carve out his own path himself; Dai-chan, on the other hand, was a hopelessly self-indulgent prick who needed her more than Tetsu-kun did. Needless to say, it didn't take long for her to decide who she was going to follow.

Because Tetsu-kun would be all right by himself. She just knew.

In the end, she headed home alone.

Thud!

There was the sound of basketball against ground. Her pace slowed as she glanced at the basketball court near her.

Tetsu-kun was there playing basketball.

He hadn't changed after all, had he?

"Tetsu-kun," she whispered.

He had stopped in his tracks, turning to look at the pink-haired girl. His lips curled into a tiny smile, something which she hadn't seen for a long time.

"Momoi-san," he acknowledged.

And then, he had told her about his plans to continue basketball, and his plans to eventually defeat the Generation of Miracles. Her pink irises had widened with delight.

Immediately, she replied, "I support you, Tetsu-kun! Don't give up... You look the happiest when you're playing basketball."

He said nothing, but she saw how his eyes glimmered under the fading light.

A miracle didn't exactly happen, but half of it happened all the same. Tetsu-kun was back again. He hadn't changed after all.

Satsuki smiled. She knew. As unpredictable as Tetsu-kun was, she knew he would not change. Because he always had unwavering passion for everything he did, and an earnest love for his teammates…

Perhaps he wasn't conventionally strong like their other five past teammates were, but he was strong at heart. And that was why Satsuki liked him.

With that, Satsuki also gained hope, and in addition to that, faith. She might not be able to defy the law of the universe, but there was something she could do. Why change with the change, if she could change the change?

Her mind was set on one thing: Let Dai-chan rediscover his love for basketball again.

Spring had arrived again, and nothing had changed. She had tried forcing Dai-chan to go practice, usually by bribing him with snacks and Horikita Mai magazines. However, after seeing the listless expression of her childhood friend even in practice, she gave up. Manipulation was not the solution to dulled passion.

After that, she was pretty much at the end of her wits, and she could only give in to the demon of power that had corrupted her friend. Nonetheless, he was still Dai-chan—her precious childhood friend. She could never abandon him.

She had met up with Tetsu-kun, and he told her about stories of Seirin. He had found a new light named Kagami Taiga. Together with their Seirin members, they might be able to beat the Generation of Miracles. Yet, Satsuki was dubious. Will teamwork really beat talent? It was a romantic idea, but an unrealistic one.

She shook her head. What was wrong with her? The past Satsuki would never think like this…

'The past Satsuki'. Ah, she was changing too. She had gotten Dai-chan's germs.

She shook her head the second time, this time with more strength. No. She wasn't going to change. Even if Dai-chan continued to call her childish, stupid, naggy, and even if Tetsu-kun decided to leave her behind, she was going to remain the only constant in this universe and keep the hope inside her alight. A special snowflake. That would be the title bestowed on her.

She laughed. Sometimes, she really sucked at cheering herself up.

A cherry blossom petal fell onto her shoulder. Satsuki clutched it, faintly remembering Tetsu-kun's warmth.

The next spring, she was still alone. Tetsu-kun and his light had lost. They had despaired, naturally, but she knew they were still working hard, aiming to achieve their goal one day. After seeing such determination, she couldn't bear to mope around anymore. Tetsu-kun was moving on, and she had to learn to move forward too, in any way she could.

As she walked past a familiar crossroad, she stared at the squashed cherry blossoms on the floor. They had been stepped on and crumpled, yet they still glimmered amidst the light.

"Tetsu-kun!"

"Momoi-san, I can't breathe…"

They had won. She knew they could, eventually. Despite countless of failures, Tetsu-kun's resolve had never fazed. That was why she liked him so much. Even if he seemed like the shadow most of the time, he was actually their hidden light—the light that allowed the Generation of Miracles to shine again. He changed the change.

As she saw the radiant smile on Tetsu-kun's face, she beamed along. Her heart had fluttered as it always did when she was around him.

Many had found her crush for Kuroko Tetsuya unbelievable. Some even thought it was just a popular girl's mere fascination towards the mysterious. Truthfully speaking, she didn't know if her feelings for Tetsu-kun was actual love. Love was still too much of an abstract concept to her, like a treacherous territory meant to be unexplored. Even so, she believed her feelings didn't run shallow. She saw the light inside Tetsu-kun. She saw his love. She saw his doubts. She saw how he persevered through them anyway.

That was why she liked Kuroko Tetsuya.

Although she craved for some sort of change in their relationship, change had terrified her at the same time. She knew Tetsu-kun didn't like her in 'that' way. She knew right now, and maybe even in the future, his attention would always be fixated on basketball and his team. Still, she liked him that way—the way he originally was.

Therefore, she was just contented with pouncing on him, yelling 'Tetsu-kun!' and holding him close to her, the warmth seeping into her like a vaccine.

This was, at least, one constant she wanted to keep in this world.

The next spring, she wasn't alone. Not anymore.

A/N: We all know that Satsuki initially took notice of Tetsuya because he gave her a popsicle. We all know that Satsuki loves unpredictability. But what about after that?

Maybe I'm just overcomplicating things like I always tend to do, but this is my personal view on Satsuki. There is something more to her besides being bubbly, cheerful and pretty. Other than Tetsuya, she's the only person who is evidently distraught after the separation of the GoM. She has also always tried to bring them together. And I think the reason why her affection for Tetsuya grew is because other than having an unpredictable playing style, he's also predictable in the things that matter to Satsuki—one being friendship. Well, maybe it's also because he's so good at comforting girls LOL, but we'll leave that for another story.

The 'cherry blossoms' part, however, is just my own interpretation. I always thought it is ironic how there were cherry blossoms when Satsuki and Tetsuya walked back home together the second time.

Hope you guys enjoyed this story! The next stories won't be so depressing... I hope xD