PROLOGUE

It was around five o'clock in the afternoon and I was lazily lying on my back while searching for songs on my ipod. Yes. Saturdays are great. Doing nothing at all can sometimes be therapeutic at times too. Especially if you had one hell of a week. Anyway, as I pushed the play button and let the song "Raggs Requiem" drift me off to sleep, my phone rang ferociously like a fire truck siren- which did a good job of startling me and pulling me out of my reverie.

"Holy Shit." I cursed under my breath as I fell on the floor with a loud thud. Now, who on earth would dare call me at this time of the day? Just when I was about to get some sleep. I haven't had enough sleep lately and now was a good time. So whoever called me basically deserves a right slap in the ear hole.

Getting up on my feet, I hurriedly ran towards my colossal dresser and picked up my noisy vibrating phone. Dammit. It continued to ring non stop so without even bothering to look at the name of my cursed caller, I hesitantly answered it.

"Hell-"

"Aiiiiiiiiiiiii…!"

Now, what the hell was that? Whoever was on the other line seemed like he was shouting at the top of his lungs. I didn't even press the loudspeaker button but shit. The caller's voice was even louder than my ringtone. If you know Superbi Squalo from KHR, then you must know how annoying and earsplitting his "Voooiiiiis!" are. Unfortunately, that's just how loud my unknown caller's voice was. Yes, you guessed it right. Loud enough to break one's eardrum. Totally life-threatening.

As I held my phone in front of my face, I pinched the bridge of my nose in a failed attempt to stave off a threatening migraine. I was about to press the "end" button when the person on the other line shouted once again. But this time, it was in a lower volume, and at the very least, understandable.

"Ai, are you there? Oi! Answer me Ai! It's an emergency!"

I instantly recognized the voice belonging to Kasamatsu-senpai but the thought of my precious eardrum breaking was more important to me than any emergency that senpai was talking about. So, without further delay, I pressed the loudspeaker buttonand went to sit on my bed.

"Geez Kasamatsu-senpai. Calm down will yah? I could almost feel my eardrum shattering from the intensity of your scream. So… what's up?"

"COME TO THE HOSPITAL, RIGHT NOW! WE'VE GOT NOT TIME TO SPARE!"

"Huh? To the hospital? Why? Did something happen, senpai?"

"Yes. Something happened to Kise. Now move your lazy ass and get over here! ASAP!"

Now for the first few seconds, my brain literally went blank. Unable to understand the situation, or rather, I intentionally didn't want to understand the situation. Staring blankly into space, all I could muster was the word "Huh?!".

"Don't 'huh?' me you idiot! I said something bad happened to Kise and he's currently in the ICU! You hear me? He's currently in the ICU! Now, you know what that means, right? So break a leg and come here at once!"

As Kasamatsu-senpai's words gradually sunk into me, I could feel my heart beat at a much faster pace and my body suddenly trembled as if something was bound to attack me.

"Oi, Ai! Are you still there? Answer me!"

"Uhmmm…" Before I began to panic hysterically and shout out sweet words of concern over the condition of Kaijou's ace, I bit my tongue.

Shit. What the hell is happening to me? Kise is not my boyfriend anymore, so why the fuck am I getting all worried about him?

Trying my best to suppress the whirlwind of emotions going wildly inside of me, I cleared my throat and inhaled deeply.

"So, what about it senpai?"

From the other side of the line, I could hear something which sounded like a trash can being kicked with such force that all its contents scattered on the ground. Kasamatsu-senpai must be very pissed with my answer but the hell? I know that Kise and I are already history but that doesn't mean that I have forgotten everything that happened between the two us. The hole that he has bore in my heart is still fresh and I doubt that it will ever close. Six months is a long time, I know. But it isn't enough for everything to get back to normal. Especially if it's with the guy who first taught me how to love and the first one to break my heart into pieces as well. They say that a crumpled paper still stays crumpled no matter what you do to straighten it out. And that's exactly how my relationship with Kise was. Even if we did become friends again in the near future, the relationship and bond that we had shared will never be like what it was before. Never ever again. Well, that's what I thought.

"Look Aika…" Kasamatsu-senpai said in a surprisingly calm voice. All the panic and anxiety that was evident before was now replaced by a more gentle and serene tone. "I know what happened between you and Kise but…"

"…but what senpai?"

"He needs you more than he needs anyone else right now."

"Bullshit…!" I blurted out on instinct that I was also surprised myself. But I guess its fine. That's what exactly I'm feeling in the first place. Bullshit. Just that my mouth seemed to be faster than my brain. "Don't get ahead of yourself now senpai. He needs me more than he needs anyone else? That's the lamest load of crap I've ever heard in a while." I tried to fake laughter in the hopes that Kasamatsu-senpai will fail notice the pain which was slowly cutting my heart in half. "Why would he need me if he has all his bitches pay homage to him every single day of his damn fucking life?!"

Basically, I was pissed by what senpai had said. It felt like an insult to me. But then again, my freaking heart says otherwise. Fuck this shit. Why does this always happen to me? My heart always betrays me during critical situations. Why can't it just listen to what my brain says for once? Why does it have to go and strip me naked- revealing all my weaknesses and emotions I have longed to forget. So in a sense, my scale is not in balance because passion precedes reason? Oh wait, or maybe it was emotion? Infatuation? Obsession? Love? Heart over mind? Well, whatever.

"Aika, if you only knew that…"

"…that Kise hoards a shitload of whores and bitches dedicated in offering the entirety of their lives for the greatest human weapon ever made against the history of females?" As I said that, I felt a smirk slowly forming on my lips. For reasons unknown to me, I somehow felt victorious after yelling out those words. Talk about a rotten mentality. Hell, I must be going crazy. I might need to set an appointment with my psychologist one of these days.

I waited for a while but all I could here was silence was Kasamatsu-senpai's end so I guessed that my last statement probably left him too stunned to speak. Good for him though. It's his fault for interfering with other people's business. So, without even bothering to check, I got up and walked towards my dresser. As I was about to put on phone above my jewelry box, I heard a loud scream coming from my phone again. Talk about bad luck.

"KIECHI AIKA!"

With my phone still set on loudspeaker mode, I was so sure that I heard a cracking sound from my mirror. But then again, maybe it was just me. It felt like I have gone through a lot even though it hasn't been half an hour since senpai called me and told me about Kis- his situation. Ahh, yes. Maybe I was just imagining things again.

"Dammit senpai! Do you really need to scream like that every time?" I told him while trying to have a stern tone. Not sure if that worked though. But it seemed like he has no intention of answering my question.

"Are you coming here or not? Yes or no Aika!"

"Tsk." I clicked my tongue exasperatedly. "You know the answer even if you don't ask senpai."

"Okay." He sighed and cleared his throat. "But before I end this call, I want to tell you something first."

"Hurry up and get on with it senpai." I stretched my arms and yawned. "I want to sleep."

"The reason why Kise is in the hospital was because…"

I gulped and had a stupid look on my face. You know, like that of a child opening a present for his birthday. Talk about suspense. Senpai is indeed good with this kind of stuff.

"…Aomine beat him up badly. Okay bye." Then without giving time to hear what could possibly my reaction be, he hung up. Now, does this man ever have the word "manners" in his dictionary? Well, not that I actually had much of a reaction which he could use to his advantage.

For exactly five minutes, I stood still, my arms in the air- which I never had the chance to put down since I was pleasurably stretching when senpai broke the news to me about Aomine actually beating up Kise. My eyes were widened in surprise and my jaw dropped. Yes. That was my reaction. And I know how freaking hilarious it looked like but I haven't got the time to imagine myself and laugh my guts out. The situation suddenly turned for the worse. Another one of those goddamn turns which usually doesn't sound too good. And with that, I got changed in the fastest time possible and hailed a taxi. I need to get there as soon as possible.

The ride to the hospital was a bit long because of the unusual evening traffic. Dammit! And to top it all, the tires of the taxi suddenly got busted. Now tell me, how one could be so bombarded with this much bad luck in a single day? Anyway, to make the long story short, I got to the hospital after half an hour and hurriedly went to the ICU.

To my surprise, I couldn't find a single soul in the hall just outside the ICU. I was expecting Kasamatsu-senpai and a couple of students from Kaijou to be there but I didn't see anyone. There were no fangirls weeping their eyes out as well. Knowing how Kasamatsu-senpai hated all of Kise's fangirls, then maybe he took matters in his hands and kept Kise's condition a secret from the general public. I went to find the Nurse's Desk and checked whether Kise Ryouta was indeed inside or maybe I just got to the wrong hospital but unfortunately Kise was indeed inside. They said that it's been an hour and a half since he went inside but they haven't heard back from the doctor who took care of him yet. Feeling defeated and wasted, I silently found my way back outside the ICU and sat on the chairs intended for visitors.

Oh god. Why does my chest feels like its being crushed? I bowed my head down and grasp my skirt tightly as if I were going to tear them apart. Why does it feel so painful? After everything that Kise has done to me, why do I still care for him like this? Six months. I did everything I could in those six months to forget about him. I even see to it that I don't see even just a shadow of him. Whenever we pass by the billboard bearing his photo, or walk by the magazine stands displaying his photo books, I would always make sure that I don't get even just a glimpse of him by accident. I deleted his number on my phone, erased all his messages on my email, threw every single thing he gave me, and avoid places which could possibly stir up my memories of him. I started being active with different school clubs, hang out with various people, attended several social gatherings and got close to people who I think can get my thoughts off of him. I changed my style of clothing, my hairstyle, my accessory and just about every thing about me which he thought to be beautiful. Yes. I tried to change who I was but sad to say that I didn't really succeed. There are still a lot of habits which are hard to stop. Like my habit of eating the buns of the burger first before eating the patty. Kise loved that about me but its hard to change habits which you grew up with. But even if I wasn't successful in entirely changing who I was, it made me feel a little better.

However, six months after, sitting outside the ICU, all of that proved to be in vain.

I buried my face in my hands and as I was about to let out all the heaviness suffocating my chest, I heard a familiar voice call out to me.

"Yo."

I raised my head to look at my unexpected companion.

"Fancy meeting you here, Aika." He said, smirking. But it was not the usual smirk that he would often show me. It was a different one that gave me an uneasy feeling. Nevertheless, it was enough for me to deduce that he was terribly pissed and very irritated.

"Daiki…" I whispered under my breath. Then, surprisingly, it felt as if my body moved on its own and before I could even stop myself… I slapped him. Yup. A terrible backhand slap. Daiki looked very surprise at my actions. He wasn't expecting it and neither did I. I was just as surprised as he was.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I was just…" I tried to fabricate an excuse for what I did but no matter what I say, nothing will change. The reason why I slapped him was clear. And that was because he hurt Kise.

"You must love him that much, huh? Going so far as to slap your best friend like that." He whispered under his breath as he touched his swollen cheek. Darn. I must have slapped him too hard. But then again, he was Aomine Daiki. So, that shouldn't have done much damage to him.

I pretended not to hear him and turned around, my back to him. "Are you saying something?"

"No, I was just happy to see you again Ai." He faked a smile as he proceeded to sit on the chair. Dammit. It almost made my heart melt that I'm not even sure if he had indeed faked it. It looked so sincere and true. Like the kind of a stupid smile he would wear whenever he played a prank on someone, the kind of smile he would wear when he hangs out with me and do just about every crazy thing we could think of, the kind of smile that tells you that he's having fun. Just that, this time, the smile kinda feels a bit sad.

I went to sit beside him and focus my eyes on the floor beneath us. I wanted to scold him for hurting Kise but at the same time, I don't want to scold him as well. Oh, for whoever's sake! I don't understand myself anymore. I'm torn between the guy lying inside the ICU who's barely escaping death and the guy beside me whom I can't read at all.

"Say Ai…" Daiki suddenly blurted out, his expression slowly changing. It was a devilish look. The kind of look he would give to those who challenge him to a game of basketball. It made me shiver and got me goose bumps. It was the first time he looked at me like but I ignored it. Knowing Daiki, he's not someone you can easily predict. One moment he's happy, then the next he would be beating people to a pulp. So maybe that's just him and his unstable state of mind.

"What is it?" I replied, my eyes still locked on the floor. I didn't bother to look at him- no- I don't know how to look at him at all.

"Why are here exactly?" He said, pushing himself closer to me. He ran his hand through the locks of my hair and placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Huh? What do you mean…" I turned to look at him and saw his face with a seemingly maniacal smile pasted on it. That took me by surprise. Maybe the devilish look he had earlier wasn't jut for a show. Maybe he really was feeling slightly pissed at me.

"Is the question that hard for you and your tiny and delicate brain to understand, Aika?" He asked, slightly raising the volume of his voice.

"What are you-"Before I could voice out a dozen of complains about his behavior or why he's talking to me like that, he pinned me to the floor using his strong muscular hands. Sure, I was not that weak, seeing that I was once an athlete myself but hey. I'm fighting against Aomine Daiki after all, so all efforts of resistance proved to be futile.

He was hovering on top of me and if anyone would saw us in that position, God only know how they're going to interpret the situation but Daiki didn't seem to mind at all. And even if I did mind, then what can I do against him? So, I just stayed like that without any qualms and waited for what he would say to me next.

He lowered his head slightly until our foreheads met. Gosh. We were so close to each other that I can feel his breath. This really feels so awkward and unnerving but at the same time, it also felt like I was floating. To hell with those feelings. I couldn't quite understand what was happening to me anymore.

"So tell me Aika. Why are you here?" He asked in a stern voice that emphasized his authority over me.

"I came here for…" Realizing something, I stopped short of my sentence. So, why did I come here in the first place anyway? My mind became blank. I was so sure that I wasn't going to visit Kise just because he's in the ICU, so why did I com here again? Ahh, yes. I hurriedly came here when Kasamatsu-san told me that Daiki was the one who beat up Kise. Oh-wait. So that's it. But what's it? Did I come here because Kise was hurt? Or did I come here because Daiki was the one who beat up Kise? I'm not quite sure anymore. I don't know anymore. I must really be going nuts.

"What is it? I can't hear you Aika!" He tightened his grip on my shoulder and shook my body. "Ahh, I know! You came here not because of me but because of Kise, right?"

"What are you talking about Daiki! I came here because I was worried-"

"You were worried not because I might be sent to jail for beating up that bastard but because you were worried about Kise's condition, right?"

"No!"

"No? No what? You came here because not because you think that I might need you but because you think that Kise needs you, right?"

"That's not it Daiki! You've got it all wrong!"

"Ahh, I see. I got it all wrong when I thought that you don't have any feelings left for Kise anymore, right?"

Bull's eyes. Now that hit a nerve. Daiki's last sentence stunned me to no end. As I lie there beneath him, my mind went blank. Do I really still love Kise? Or is it just because that we had spent a considerable time together that I'm worried about him like this. Damn. These kinds of questions really makes my mind explode.

Sighing, Daiki placed his head on my chest and laughed nervously.

"Hey Aika. Do you love him?"

"Huh?" Now that felt like thunder and lightning slowly crashing towards me and tearing me to pieces. I couldn't give him an answer. I don't know the answer. I don't want to give him an answer, so I just lie there quietly as before.

"No answer, eh? So that must mean that you really do love him, right?"

"…"

"So you really do love him?"

"…"

"Nothing has changed after six months?"

"..."

And as if on cue, tears slowly flowed from my eyes without me knowing it. Speaking of the devil, here comes the schemes of my dear heart again. Really, if people could live without their hearts, I must have ripped mine out a long time ago. I feel so helpless and pathetic like this. My weaknesses and hidden emotions all laid out for everyone to see. But then again, love actually comes from somewhere in our brain right? And the heart just does all the pumping for better blood circulation, right? So, I guess, it should be the brain that I must rip out? I don't know. I'm too confused to think about trivial matters right now.

"Keichi Aika…" Daiki suddenly said in a surprisingly soft and gentle voice. His hands slowly found their way to my face and he wiped my tears away. He lifted his head up until we were looking at each other eye to eye.

"Kiss me Aika."

"Huh?" I looked at him with shock as I tried to understand what he meant by that. And much to my chagrin, he meant the literal meaning of the word.

Daiki closed his eyes and slowly lifted my face so that our lips would meet. During that time, my brain cells terribly went dead. I can't think of anything at all. I just followed whatever he wanted me to do and approve to whatever he was doing. To my shock though, I also found myself waiting for the moment when I would feel his lips touch mine. I submitted myself to whatever was happening between the two of us…or so I thought.

In the last seconds, when our lips were just centimeters apart from each other…

I turned away.

I turned my head away, postponing our would-be kiss. It's not like I turned away intentionally or that I turned away because I don't want to kiss him. It happened on an impulse, on instinct. It happened unconsciously. It happened without me knowing it. My body, my head just turned to move on its own, as if controlled by an outside force.

We stayed like that for a couple of minutes. Not one of us moved nor spoke. We just stayed like that. Until Kasamatsu-senpai and the others arrived and found us on that awkward position.

"Haaa?! What are you to Ai-chan, Aomine-kun!" Kasamatsu-senpai blurted out with a very vexed expression on his face. Behind him were the members of the Kaijou basketball club who were as quite as surprise as him seeing us in that position.

At which point, Daiki stood up and helped me get on my feet. He looked at the students from Kaijou with the same maniacal eyes he looked at me with moments ago. Before thoroughly excusing himself, he turned to look at me and hugged me which, in a sense, surprised everyone present including myself.

"If it was Kise, would you have allowed him to kiss you?" He whispered to me.

And with that, he disappeared into the night, leaving a river of tears flowing down my eyes.

Hi. My name is Keichi Aika. And I am currently torn between my ex-boyfriend and my current best friend.