"Aomine-kun." He heard a faint voice call. He slowly stirred awake, removed the magazine from his face and when he leaned back he encountered a pair of big bright cerulean eyes that stared right back at him.

"Oh, Tetsu, it's you." He muttered, still half-asleep. Aomine had absconded up onto the rooftop for solitude. It was not the best choice for comfort though, but the winter's bitter wind had rested; in Kuroko's hand, a basketball.

"Do you want to play basketball?" he asked ever so sweetly.

"Hmph, what's the point? I'll just get even more bored of it." Aomine replied in a groan. His slender fingers tightened their grip on the ball with sorrow, his eyes filled with disappointment. He quickly looked away; he couldn't bear the sight of those baby blues.

"Then, can I just lie down too?" Kuroko inquired. He sat up making room for him.

"Go ahead." He said with a reassuring smile. He grinned meagerly and laid himself on the bench and his head on Aomine's lap.

"Are you excited for our tournament tomorrow?" he asked in a hushed uncomfortable tone.

"Don't you remember what I just said?" Aomine retorted. He could feel him shudder a bit.

"Oh…" Kuroko uttered quietly. He gently rested his hand over Kuroko's face, masking away his sad eyes. He felt something wet his palm; Kuroko's tears. A pang of guilt struck him and nearly made his body tremble. He quickly changed subjects and made his tone more light hearted to avoid any more damage to Kuroko.

"A-anyways, you should rest. Today's drills were pretty brutal, huh?"

"Uh-huh." Was his simple reply. He removed his large hand from the little one's face and found him; his cheeks brushed light pink and eyes closed. He grinned and laid his jacket on him

####

Akashi had gathered the colorful miracles for a private meeting about their upcoming tournament. They gathered in the gym late after school.

"What did you call us for, Akashi?" Midorima asked.

"We've all been progressing, wouldn't you say." He stated solemnly.

"Yeah, what about it?" asked Kise.

"It's every man for himself tomorrow." He uttered suddenly. They all gawked at him, not understanding his words

"All of our skills are at the max now; maybe our abilities could even go over the bar. So, when we step on that court, we won't pass to each other anymore." He explained. No one said anything after that, they simply nodded in seeming agreement.

###

The night of their tournament had finally arrived. They were up against a supposedly strong team, but that didn't make them think any differently; they had won and they were certain to win again and always. Aomine entered the locker room late. He didn't feel like putting so much effort into a sure game. Something bothered him; he hadn't seen Kuroko at school or lunch. Then, he reasoned that it was just because of Kuroko's lack of presence.

As he slipped into his light blue jersey and pulled up the shorts, he heard someone relentlessly pounding on the door.

"Oi! Is anyone there; Midorin, Aomine-kun?! Anyone!" he heard Satsuki cry. He opened the door.

"If you're gonna scold me for being late don't bother." He groaned. When he got a better look of her, she looked weary, hugging herself tightly and on the brink of crying. Her magenta eyes were glossy with tears that she choked back.

"A-Aomine-kun…" she started shakily, holding tightly to something in her arms. She released the object, which was revealed as a Teiko basketball jersey and shorts, and dropped them to the floor. Below the kanji of Teiko's name, was the number fifteen; Kuroko's number. Aomine stared at the released clothes with bewilderment. These are… Tetsu's…