Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke. It belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki.

Enjoy!

"Taiga."

It was a soft voice. One that whispers soft I love yous to Kagami everynight and one that greets him good morning each crack of dawn. The fiery red-head snuggled closer to the warm body and nodded softly as a way of telling him that he is listening. Fingers runs through his red hair and Kagami sighs, sleep tempting him. But every ounce of drowsiness snaps out of Kagami's system when words rang to his ears.

"I received an invitation from the NBA."

Sleep is not even option at the moment. Shocked ruby eyes clashed with weary sapphire ones. Aomine's face is painted with fatigue, the news keeping him awake at night. He didn't mean to hide it for so long but he couldn't bear to tell Kagami because knowing him, he'll respond with -

"Accept it."

Aomine knew, without doubt and without even thinking about that, Kagami will tell him to accept it. Because that's how he is. Selfless, someone with the golden heart. But at the time, he couldn't even conjure a nod because he knows about the strain that this will put into their 3-year old relationship. That night, Aomine knows, without doubt that Kagami laid in that king-sized bed, back facing him, and awake until the wee hours of the morning.

Kagami woke up that morning, dark circles surrounding his ruby eyes. He turned to his side, only to find it empty. He laid there for minutes, contemplating on the news that reached him, not just 6 hours ago. Black coffee wafted through his nose and it was a wake up call to both the day ahead and to reality. A shiver ran through him when his feet hit the cold wooden floor and he hurried to the living room to find tan and physically built naked back, cooking what it seems like omelet over the stove. Kagami snuck behind him to steal a kiss on his cheek. Aomine chuckled, turned his head around and placed a kiss on Kagami's forehead.

But despite the sweet gestures, they ate their breakfast in silence. It was uncomfortable to begin with, the issue still hangs anonymously over the air. Kagami decided to put an end to deafening silence.

"You go."

When Aomine felt the stolen kiss on his cheeks that morning, he thought that the issue will not be pushed until the time comes. He hadn't expected Kagami to bring it up as early as the next morning. He looked up to his fiery red eyes, which held a tinge of softness over them.

"You've wanted it for a very long time. So you go."

Kagami was willing to do anything for Aomine, anything for the one he loves. So when his face crashed with Aomine's firm shoulders, with kisses trailing down his head and neck and never-ending thank yous whispered to his ear, he decided that this will be worth it.

The next few months was spent preparing for Aomine's departure. They wake up everyday, embracing the days left. Aomine leaves tiny bit of his presence all around the apartment such as changing their once pristine white curtains to sapphire blues, unnecessary purchase of a navy blue apron and "accidentally" putting clothes on Kagami's side of the dresser. Kagami sees Aomine as someone cute like that.

But they woke up one early morning, the sun still sleeping and the stars continue to twinkle. They dreaded the ride to the airport, it was cold and they are left with probably a few minutes to grasp each others existence before they are separated by thousands of miles. They held hands all the way. And on the boarding platform, at 4AM, with Aomine's flight number flashing on the colossal screen behind him.

"I don't know when I'll be able to come back." Aomine said in a voice Kagami can't seem to understand.

"It's okay. Take your time. I'll stay here." Tears were pricking the corner of Kagami's eyes. Aomine knew that Kagami was holding back tears, he knew that the redhead was trying so hard to be strong so he drew him into one of those tight hugs Kagami likes so much. Tears trailed down pale cheeks and into Aomine's black jacket. Sobs filled Aomine's ears and he hugged Kagami tighter, running his hand all over his red hair.

"Hey baby. Come here." Aomine said, bringing Kagami's face closer, forehead to forehead as his run his thumbs, wiping out any stray tears. "You crybaby."

Kagami chuckled despite the sobs spilling out of his mouth. A woman's voice came through the PA system, announcing the final call for Aomine's flight. Kagami fights the urge to stop and beg Aomine to stay, he knows it's not right and so he battles his selfishness. He flashed him a a grin and nodded towards the glass doors, leading the way to his plane. Aomine leans in once again to give Kagami one last forehead kiss lingeringly.

"Take care of yourself Taiga. I love you."

Kagami nodded and gave Aomine's hand one last squeeze. "You too, please. I love you Daiki."

Kagami finds himself in the hard surface of the dining table one morning, marking the date and realizing that it has been a year and a half since Aomine's departure to the States. His laptop on, for the whole night actually and still, not a message or a missed call is seen. He ran a hand through his hair, roughly messing them up. The communication went on for a about a year and a few months but when the stress over Aomine's practices and games piles up, the calls, the messages, the video-call lessen to twice a week, then once then nothing.

It's been 4 months since their last call, their last message, the last time Kagami gets to enjoy the privilege of being the Ace's lover. The silence of the apartment deafens him and now that he thinks about it, the apartment is abnormally big and cold now that he is alone. He reaches for the remote and turns the T.V on and turned around to prepare breakfast when words echoed around the empty space.

"Aomine Daiki, the current star player of the latest season was seen coming out of The Nice Guy in L.A, hand in hand with Elle Spencer, the team's manager and publicist. According to inside source, the two were on an exclusive relationship for the past months..."

Kagami froze on the spot. The words rang repeatedly inside his head. Kagami understands that Aomine is being pressured, pressured to take the team's winning shot, to take the game back. He knows because he's watched every single game, every single practice, every single videos. Kagami understands the lack of communication, he grudgingly admit that as long as Aomine is not injured, it's fine.

But this news, this affair, this pain, this is something Kagami doesn't understands.

"Hey, don't act so tough just because you scored 63 points last night!"

"Go back to Japan, you asshole."

Aomine bit back his tongue to avoid picking up a fight as a water bottle is thrown at him.

"Fucking benchboys."

He sat down on a bench, his 30 laps completed. After being recruited, the team's coaches didn't waste any time in putting Aomine as a starting member with the other 4 solely relying on him in every inch of the game. Dunks, threes, blocks, get the ball and bringing the score back. It was suddenly tiring and Aomine was tempted to injure himself just to take a break.

Aomine remembers his Taiga in moments like this, in moments where he thought of giving up. He remembers ruby eyes sparkling proudly when he knows that Aomine scored half of the points, he remembers soft I love yous and good mornings, silent cheers that crosses the vast ocean between them and he remembers the smile that he wants to see the most.

He knows that despite the limited amount of communication they have, Kagami knows everything. The internet is an unlimited source of knowledge but one issue hasn't made its way through the creation just yet and Aomine cannot tell him the fact that half of the team hates him and the other half not giving a damn. He cannot tell him that he does his laps and stretches alone and that no one even bothers sharing a hotel room with him. The fist bumps, small talks, manly hugs, high fives and praises are nothing but a show for the camera. Once the game is over and won, Aomine sits at the very back of the team bus alone. He was lonely.

"Hello Aomine."

Aomine shoots the ball and turned to look at the door of the gym. Everyone went out hours ago, ending the day's practice. Apparently, not everyone.

"Hello Elle."

Elle's one of the team's manager. She handles the press and publicity and she's damn good at her job, seeing as not a single soul knows of the team damage from the inside. The first time Aomine saw her, she was a natural brunette but now she sports a dark red dye. She's wearing dark skinny jeans and a fitted tank top, emphasizing her slim waist and big bust, with black stilettos.

"Everyone went home already. What are you doing here?" Elle asked, picking up one stray ball and caressing it with her perfectly manicured fingernails.

"Shooting drills." Was Aomine's curt answer. He picked up another ball and effortlessly throwing the ball into the net. Aomine couldn't tell her that he doesn't want to go home to an empty hotel room where he is left to wallow at his loneliness.

"More practice? You're perfect already." Elle said, walking towards in front of Aomine, her high heels hitting the wooden floor, echoing throughout the empty gym. With her attempt to be a little closer to the ring, she went for the shot where the ball hit the rim and fell down to the floor, joining the rest of the stray balls.

Looking at her from the back, Aomine pictured his Taiga, shooting the ball and flashing him a grin. He pictured his Taiga and his beautiful smile.

"Since the coach gave you a long weekend break, why not spend one dinner with me?" Elle offered. Aomine knew it was a mistake the moment his head nodded yes.

After dinner and a few drinks, he founds himself in an unfamiliar bed with the sun shining down on him, a burning headache and naked as the day he was born. The door creaked open and Elle came in, wearing the black shirt Aomine wore the night before over a pink apron.

"Good morning Aomine. Come, breakfast is served." Elle said with a smile. Aomine knows perfectly what happened but Elle acted as if nothing did. Kagami flashed before Aomine's eyes, standing and his back facing, an apron over his pajamas and humming a happy working tune.

"Fuck. Taiga.."

But despite tripling his training menu that day, it wasn't the last time. In fact it happened countless times, countless times where Aomine was perfectly sober. They weren't supposed to go public but being photographed coming out of an exclusive restaurant spread like wildfire. The affair continued for months, it was a long time.

But tonight was actually one of those rare moments when Aomine is actually in his hotel room. He laid in his bed, trying to catch a well-deserved sleep and rest. The season was over, with them advancing to the championship and winning. The rest of the team was over somewhere, celebrating. Aomine didn't bother. He was dead tired with the whole team relying on him.

"Fucking assholes." Aomine muttered against the soft comforter of his hotel bed. Despite the tiring day and his body aching, his mind refused to even acknowledge sleep. He toss and turn in bed until his eyes landed on a forgotten red cashmere sweatshirt thrown into one corner of the bed, half of it falling into the floor. He reached a hand towards it and pulled it towards him. It was soft and warm to the touch.

"Taiga.."

Aomine's eyes flashed opened and before him, appeared his whole life. Teiko, Touo, Inter-High, Winter Cup, the Zone filled with hues of blues and reds, a 2-bedroom apartment, a warm king-sized bed, Maji Burger, a worn out basketball ball, a familiar court in a familiar subdivision, homemade food and red, red, red. Taiga.

The flashback ended when the door opened and Elle came in a provocative dress, showing her curves and toned legs.

"Aomine, we're celebrating downstairs. Come join us," She said, drawing close. She leaned into the bed, one knee propped on the bed and arms trapping Aomine. She bent down, red lips against Aomine's ears. "Or would you rather stay here?"

Aomine sat up from the bed, taking Elle by surprise as she stumbled back into her own two feet. He took one good look at her. Her previously colored red hair was now dyed into light blonde and suddenly, she's not Taiga anymore.

"She was never Taiga."

Aomine hoisted his body out of bed and hurriedly approached the table across the room. He pocketed his phone and wallet and hastily wore his shoes. In the corner of his eyes, he can see Elle watching him with confuse eyes.

"Aomi – "

"Let's end it here Elle." Aomine said as he grabbed the innocently strewn red cashmere sweatshirt on the bed. He was about to leave the room when her soft voice echoed in the stillness of the room.

"Are you going to him? Kagami Taiga."

Aomine tilted his head sideways to see Elle's once pretty face, now filled with distress.

"Yes, back to him."

"...mi-kun. Kaga..-kun. Kagami-kun!"

A feminine voice can be heard across the placid cafe, calling out to one dazed customer, whose eyes are glued to a certain webpage in his laptop. One more "Kagami-kun!" – extra loud – and the so-called Kagami looked up to found his usual waitress, handing him his meal. The waitress flashed a worried look and Kagami replied with a soft smile.

"Sorry, I was fixated in this one. I know the guy. Used to be a basketball buddy before." Kagami said and the waitress sighed in relief.

"It's okay Kagami-kun. Do you need anything else?"

Kagami looked down to his food, deeming it enough to stock him up for the next hour. He shook his head and she went on her way. Kagami's eyes went back into his laptop. It's been a few months since the shocking news came out about Aomine and Elle and it stirred Kagami's world. But days turned to weeks and weeks into months, not one message, not one call, not one sign indicating that this is all a big misunderstanding and that he is still Aomine's number one. Kagami stopped counting and buried himself to med school.

One picture showed Aomine, holding the championship trophy, flashing a proud smirk to the camera. But Kagami knew of the underlying happiness despite the mask of arrogance. Kagami closed the article when he reached the part where Elle was shown and focused back on the article about treatments and cases of tumor.

A few hours later, armed with a highlighter and a thick book of 2 inches on the table, Kagami willed himself to forget about the article from the past noon and concentrate on familiarizing the human anatomy. But all of a sudden, it was 3:07AM and he was beyond exhausted.

Kagami doesn't bother to move across the apartment and settle into the bedroom. He stopped sleeping there when he finds it too large and cold to his own liking. Clad in one of Aomine's old tee shirts, Kagami curled up on the couch, clutching his navy blue blanket. A sudden notion went through him and he finds himself snuggling deeper into blanket, inhaling whatever was left of Aomine's scent.

Aomine tapped his fingers impatiently on the chair's armrest, gazing out onto the pitch black sky of the airplane's window. It was a long flight back and he couldn't wish for anything to go faster. Aomine shivered, the cold compressed air was too much and he nuzzle deeper into the red cashmere sweater he is wearing. Sleep overtook him and he dreams of innocent smile, red hair and a warm home. Home.

It was a few hours later when he was awoken by a flight attendant, informing him that they will be landing any moment now and is instructing him to the safety procedures of the plane. He zoned out the rest of the flight attendant's protocol, his thoughts only to hurry home.

It was 4:43AM, the sky still pitched black and the 5-story apartment haunts Aomine of what is yet to come. He caress the key with his fingers, their apartment key that he keeps inside his wallet at all times, not exactly sure on what to do now that he is here. The elevator works just fine but Aomine decided to take the stairs to gather his thoughts. But time doesn't stop and in no time, Aomine finds himself in front of a white door with the names Kagami-Aomine printed in a gold plate. It was a few minutes until Aomine gained the courage to finally enter the room.

From the entryway, Aomine can make up the dim living room lamps on. He internally panicked at the thought of Kagami still awake. But what worries him the most is the fact that the redhead is probably studying to death. Again. Leaving his shoes on the entrance, he entered as quietly as he could, his socks softly padding on the wooden floor.

The first thing his eyes laid upon was the kitchen table, filled with books, markers, pens, pencils, notebooks and index cards strewn all over the place. Among the messy group, a blue coffee mug stood by itself innocently.

"That's mine, you idiot."

His eyes roam around the dimly lit room, taking in the fact that not much has change since he left. It's like he's been living there for last 2 years. His eyes rested on the huge lump of blanket on the couch. It was clearly an angel sleeping. Red hair spread all over the white plush pillow, small button nose, pink plump lips and behind those close lids is a pair of rubies Aomine has longed to see ever since boarding that plane 2 years ago.

"I told you a thousand times not to overstudy, didn't I?" Aomine said, caressing the dark circles looming under the redhead's eyes. He ran his hand through silky red hair, not expecting ruby eyes to fly open at the action. Confused and lonely ruby eyes.

Aomine froze on the spot, stuck between retracting his hand or pulling Kagami into a hug. His ruby eyes looks unbelieving. Kagami sat up, clutching his head.

"Psychology is killing me." Kagami said, shaking his head sideways, trying to ward off any unnecessary dreams. Aomine chuckled at the forever innocent Kagami. He reached both hands to cup Kagami's cheeks and guided them to look at his own blue eyes.

"Come on Taiga. I'm real." Kagami's eyes slowly widened in surprise, his hands clutching the blankets around him tightly until they turn almost pale white in color. Aomine grabbed one hand, lulling them to calm down and running his thumbs all over them. They sat frozen for a few minutes, Kagami still in a dilemma whether this one is real or just psychology getting inside his head and Aomine trying to convince Kagami that he's back to where he truly belongs.

"You couldn't be real. Daiki is somewhere in LA right now, celebrating his victory and – "

Aomine drawn out Kagami's rumbling in preference to stare at the face he missed. His hair is a little longer now but other than that, he is still Kagami. He is still my Taiga.

" – and he's dating their manager. He'd like her of course, with a bust like that and – "

Kagami didn't notice, still within the concept that the Aomine in front of him is not real in anyway, but Aomine's heart clenched when Kagami mention Elle. It reminded him of the infidelity he constructed, it reminded him of Kagami's broken heart.

It was silent all of a sudden. Aomine brought his eyes back to Kagami. What we saw frighten him the most. His favorite person, his most treasured one is crying, tears silently cascading his soft baby cheeks. He hiccuped and roughly rubbed his eyes. This kind of pain, Kagami doesn't deserve this. He'll do anything to take back all anguish he gave to him. Anything.

"You're back." It was pain-filled voice but lingering behind them is relief and happiness. Kagami blinked for the nth time when the figure in front of him drew a hand to caress his tear-stained cheeks.

"I'm back baby." Aomine said, biting his lip when wiping Kagami's tears didn't even help because right after he uttered those words, fresh tears came tumbling down.

"Hey, come here." Aomine wound an arm around Kagami's shoulders and drew him closer. He tangled his fingers in Kagami's hair and gently trailed kisses on his head. "You crybaby."

I was supposed to take my sweet time with this one, drag it as long as I want to, externalized their emotions more but this one is stuck in my Documents for so long. So I decided to finish it tonight. It's 2:13AM from where I am right now, it's not the ending I thought it would be and it is rushed, not going to deny that. But I do hope you enjoyed this one. Let me know your thoughts.

- periwinkle-eyes