Title: Kise, The Matchmaker (1/2)

Writer: Amariys

Words count: 5138 words

Fandom/Characters: Kuroko no Basket/Aomine Daiki, Kise Ryouta, OCs.

Pairing(s): AoKise.

Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basket is not mine. No trademark infringement or profit meant from the writing of this story.

Rating: T

Summary: Truly, Kise is the worst matchmaker Aomine has ever known.

"I want to have a lover."

The basketball he was getting ready to shoot slipped from Kise's hand as he heard that declaration. It bounced lazily twice on the ground before rolling away from him and yet Kise didn't seem to notice. His wide-eyes attention was turned towards Aomine who was sitting on a bench just outside the street court. A small towel still hung around the other's tan neck from his early short break.

"What did you say, Aomine-cchi?"

"I said I want to have a lover. Do you have hearing problem or does exhaustion just make you dumber than usual?" Aomine's tone was mocking although from the rusty red blush across his cheeks, Kise figured it was only a defense mechanism to hide his embarrassment.

"That is cruel. I don't have hearing problem and I'm not dumb either. I just never expected to hear you saying that." Huffing in mild irritation, Kise finally moved to get the once-forgotten basketball. He held it between his palms before walking towards Aomine. Their weekly one-on-one had ended with Aomine's victory—again—and usually Kise would sulk because of that, but the interesting conversation they were having managed to steer his mind away from his lost.

"What made you want to have a lover? I thought you've been with women before."

"Yeah, I've been with women before," Aomine snorted because they were now in their last year of high school and he was not some prude who would keep his virginity for such a long time. "but that doesn't really count. I was just fooling around with those women, you know, and well this time I want a lover, not a fuck buddy."

"Language, Aomine-cchi. There's no need to be so crude." Kise chided half-heartedly. He was far too intrigued to worry about Aomine's crass mouth. Plopping down beside the tan male, Kise put the basketball on his lap, folding his arms atop of it and gently resting his chin atop of his folded arms. He turned his face towards Aomine in that childish pose. "A lover, huh. I admit I can't really see you with a lover, but maybe we're on that age that want some kind of stability. So, tell me, what is your lover type?"

Navy blue eyes regarded Kise from their peripheral vision. A gentle tug was pulling at Aomine's heart when he saw the sheer innocence in the other's pose. Kise almost looked like he was hugging himself—the perfect portrayal of childish innocence—while his still damp blond locks fell in gorgeous wave. Some of it were sticking on his face and Aomine noticed Kise was keeping his hair quite long now. His bright honey brown eyes were peeking from under the fringe, brimming with curiosity while his lips curled into a teasing smile as he waited for an answer.

Aomine wondered what Kise would do if he kissed him right now. At least that would answer his question.

Although it also had the probability of ruining their friendship and Aomine didn't want that at all. They already could only meet once or twice a week. Aomine didn't think he could stand not meeting with Kise for longer than that.

He turned his gaze forward again, scrubbing his face with his small towel just so he wouldn't feel too awkward after his secret observation of Kise. "I don't really have a type. Just anyone who is compatible with me will be fine, I guess." He grunted out the lie.

"Eeeeeeeeh?! I was very sure your type is an older woman with big boobs! Or at least women with body just like your idol, Horikita Mai!"

"How the hell did you come to that conclusion?! That's totally untrue! I'm not that shallow, you know! I won't date someone just because they have big boobs!"

At the denial, Kise just gave Aomine a very pointed look that could be translated into, "Yeah, right."

"Okay fine, I do like big boobs!" Aomine growled under that look. "Still it doesn't mean I only look for boobs when I decide to date someone! Their personality matters too and I won't have a relationship with someone who doesn't have any similarities with me. Big boobs are great for one night stand, but I'm talking about long term relationship here and what's more important is that I can feel comfortable and connected with my future partner."

The rather comprehensive answer made Kise lift his brows in pleasant surprise. Apparently Aomine had given much thought in this and in turn it made Kise think rather seriously too. He hummed softly, straightening up from his position and shifting his gaze towards the evening sky. His eyes reflected the bloody color of the sky as the clouds floated about. Without really thinking he swung his legs idly; his brain processing everything Aomine had told him.

Unbeknownst for him, Aomine was submitting his every little gestures into his memory. Small smile teasing the corners of his lips.

"When you said comfortable and connected … do you mean something like what you and Kuroko-cchi have?"

Aomine frowned faintly at the question. How did Kuroko even appear in their conversation now? Knowing it would be useless for him to try guessing what went in Kise's head, he finally answered, "I guess. Yeah, perhaps like that. I can assure you whatever you're thinking about won't work though, so you better stop before you're getting more intrigued by it."

"Haha, don't worry, Aomine-cchi. I'm merely satisfying my curiosity."

Kise had grinned when he said that. A grin that was so wide and sincere—the kind of grin that left Aomine with a shiver of fear running through his body. However, that grin was also very dazzling and so despite his trepidation of the plan he knew was brewing in Kise's mind, Aomine could only smile in exasperation before ruffling Kise's head roughly.

He just wanted to see the blond happy.

Kise was going to make a plan and he would make sure it was a really good one.

To be honest, he had felt disappointed when Aomine said he wanted to have a lover. In one way or another, Kise had managed to be true to his words back in Interhigh: He had stopped admiring Aomine. Not that it was a good thing because while his admiration had surely diminished what came after was something more terrifying. His admiration had evolved and now Kise had come to realization that he liked Aomine in more than friendly way. Thus when he heard Aomine's words, he couldn't stop the disappointment he immediately felt.

He knew Aomine often messed around with women, but even then he still had hope for his growing feelings. Those one night stands would never become permanent addition in Aomine's life. Those women with big boobs wouldn't be a threat for him. A lover was different though. Even Aomine himself had used the term differently. A lover meant commitment, long-time relationship and understanding to his partner. A lover would mean someone Aomine actually loved, not someone he only wanted to have sex with because of their sexy body.

Once Aomine got a lover, Kise would need to try killing his own fondness for the other. It wouldn't be easy, but one thing Kise wanted the most in this world is Aomine's happiness. Thus, he had decided he would be the one to pick Aomine's lover for him. At least then he would be sure Aomine's lover was worthy enough to have him and hopefully he would be ready to let Aomine go.

With that determination firm in his mind, Kise started to work. First thing he needed to do was finding someone who would fit Aomine's type.

Considering how well he knew Aomine, that really wouldn't be hard. He was still convinced about Aomine's love for big boobs but if the other insisted that didn't really matter then Kise would give him the benefit of doubt. With that criteria out of the way, Kise would need to look at the personality of Aomine's future partner and found someone who could be compatible with him.

Aomine really should consider himself lucky, because Kise knew just who the exact girl would be. He just needed to make phone calls for now.

From: Kise

Subject: change of plan!

Aomine-cchi, next week is your turn to visit me, right? Can you come earlier than the promised hour? There's someplace I want to show you before our one-on-one!

Message received 06/15/200x 20:27

From: Aomine-cchi!

Subject: re: change of plan!

Yeah, sure.

Message received 06/15/200x 20:30

From: Kise

Subject: re: re: change of plan!

Yaaay! Aomine-cchi is the best! *\(^O^)/* See you next week~ ;)

Message received 06/15/200x 20:32

When he received Kise's message a week ago, Aomine was curious about the place Kise wanted to show to him. He had visited Kanagawa few times already—since he and Kise agreed they would take turn visiting the other for their one-on-one—he didn't think there were many places he hadn't seen. However this was Kise he was talking about. Aomine knew he shouldn't keep his hope high. For all he knew, the place Kise meant could be the usual café they visited frequently which was having slight change in their interior decoration.

Since Kise hadn't changed their meeting place, Aomine was expecting to see him once he stepped out of the train he rode in. True to his prediction, he didn't even need to walk for long until he saw Kise waving enthusiastically at him. The sight made Aomine smirk. He shrugged his bag lightly back to place as he approached the other.

However, as he got close to Kise, Aomine realized he was not alone. His steps halting at the sight of their additional companion, Aomine could only stare for a moment.

"… Tetsu?"

Even as he called the name, Aomine knew he was mistaken. Unless his eyes had deceived him—or his brain had totally gone screwed up—the person beside Kise was a girl. A girl … who looked very much alike with Kuroko Tetsuya. From closer inspection, he realized the girl was even shorter than Kuroko. Not that it was surprising. Although Kuroko was considered short compared to the other Generation of Miracles, but he was actually of normal height for boys. The only girls who could reach his height would be models.

Other than her height though, the girl could almost be mistaken as Kuroko's sister—if not twin. The girl had the same teal-blue hair and big eyes that seemed to steal their colors from the sky. If that was not scary enough, the girl also had that same lack of expression on her face. Even now the only reaction she showed was to blink her eyes as she gazed up at Aomine.

"Aomine-cchi, that's not Kuroko-cchi! Although I can understand why you'll be mistaken. This is Shinonome Kasumi-cchi, a second year in Kaijou and also our team's unofficial manager. I had promised to accompany her to the bookstore before our one-on-one. You don't mind that, do you?"

Prompted by Kise's explanation, Shinonome stepped forward. She had a thin smile on her face as she bowed politely. Aomine idly noted the way her shoulder-length hair fell around her bowing head as she did that. "Shinonome Kasumi. It's a pleasure to meet you, Aomine-kun."

"A-aah. Aomine Daiki. Nice to meet you too, Shinonome-san." Stuttering in the face of her politeness, Aomine knew his bow would look awkward. When she straightened up soon after, he resisted the urge to sigh in relief. "I'm sorry for asking this, but do you know someone named Kuroko Tetsuya? It's just that you look very similar with him."

"Of course I know him," the smile on Shinonome's face seemed to widen for a fraction. Her eyes were surely glittering with amusement as she continued, "Tetsu-kun is my cousin."

It took all of Kise's effort to not laugh gleefully when he saw Aomine's astonished face. The reaction Aomine showed was even better than his prediction. Not that Kise had reacted any better. When Shinonome first applied herself as Kaijou's manager on Kise's second year, he had fairly screamed at seeing the girl. He was sure most of the Kaijou's basketball team members would still remember his high-pitched scream back then.

He really couldn't help it though. Seeing Shinonome was like seeing Kuroko Tetsuya's clone in different gender. Kise even needed to pinch himself to make sure he was not dreaming. When Shinonome finally admitted to be Kuroko's cousin, though, it kind of explained everything. It was still astonishing how alike the two cousins were but Kise decided to blame it to their blood relation and typical genetic conformation.

The similarity between Shinonome and Kuroko was almost frightening, but it worked to Kise's advantage. He knew really well how compatible Aomine was with Kuroko and although now Kuroko already had Kagami, he still believed Aomine would be better in the hands of someone like Kuroko. Shinonome was all of that and more. Of course she would be the first option Kise chose when he determined to get Aomine a lover.

He intentionally dragged his feet as they walked towards the bookstore. Shinonome and Aomine were walking in front of him, although sometimes he would receive a pointed look from Aomine—which he ignored, of course. Far as he could see, the duo walking in front of him seemed to get along just fine. Shinonome was a quiet girl from the beginning so Kise didn't really expect her to start up a conversation. What had captured his attention was Aomine. The man looked almost hilarious standing beside the petite Shinonome and apparently he noticed that too because Kise could read his subtle body gestures and they were awkward.

It didn't mean they were not a good match. With Shinonome's height, Kise reckoned she would fit just fine in Aomine's arms. They contrasted each other very much, but wasn't that good in a relationship? Even now Kise could see Aomine was already compensating for Shinonome. His steps were shorter than his usual ones to make her able catching up with him. He also would stop once in a while and dipped his head slightly whenever she said something. All in all, Kise was sure Aomine would cherish her if they ever became a couple.

The pain that came as he saw that was expected. Kise was ready for it; enough that even the smile on his face didn't falter even one bit. If anything, it just turned into a wider grin as both Aomine and Shinonome stopped in front of their destination and turned to face him. Shinonome was smiling in that shy way of her while Aomine had an annoyed frown between his brows.

"Oi, Kise, hurry up. You're the one who knows this area. You should lead the way, dumbass."

"Shino-cchi can lead the way just fine. Besides, don't you think being accompanied by a girl is more interesting, Aomine-cchi?" Kise just couldn't help the teasing. Aomine made it all too easy.

In response to that, Aomine's eyes narrowed. They pinned Kise under sharp gaze, most likely trying to figure out what he was planning on. Kise knew Aomine would figure out his plan sooner than later, but still it wasn't enough to disturb him. Smiling charmingly, he just caught up with the two calmly. He then took both Aomine and Shinonome's wrists in his hands and happily pulled them along.

"Well, let's go and look for some books!"

He finally figured out Kise's plan when the blond suddenly spotted Kasamatsu in the bookstore they went into. Kise's face had lightened up—in the way that told Aomine this wasn't entirely a coincidence—before hastily excusing himself to approach his ex-captain. The bastard even had the gut to tell Aomine to, "Be nice to Shino-cchi!" before he left them alone.

The urge to curse suddenly hit Aomine. Thankfully, he still had his manner and he didn't think cursing while with girls (except for Momoi) would be considered polite. So he swallowed down the curse and turned to face Shinonome instead.

"Well, that is that," he said in apologetic tone. "Let's go to the section you're looking for. What book do you want to buy?"

"It's a philosophy book. Are you sure you will be alright accompanying me?" She asked even as she started to walk towards the Philosophy section. Her face didn't give out anything, but years learning to read Kuroko made Aomine notice the hidden amusement in her eyes.

He snorted quite rudely in response. "You know he's planning to set us up. The least we can do is playing along with him for now. I don't really want to make him upset, after all."

"No, I figured you wouldn't want that."

Navy blue brows raised up at that cryptic response. He knew she could see it, but she ignored his questioning gaze and just went into the aisle that held neat rows of philosophy books. He followed and pretended to browse the book's title although he had basically no interest in philosophy. He could admit Shinonome was not a bad company though. Her similarities with Kuroko made him feel comfortable and since she didn't seem interested in actually trying a relationship with him, Aomine figured they could at least be friends.

"Do you often meet with Tetsu?" He asked once the silence became too much. That, and he was also really curious about that because Kuroko never said anything about having a cousin.

"At least once a month. We are not particularly close, but I do respect Tetsu-kun a lot. He doesn't talk much and I like that. It's hard to find someone who appreciates silence nowadays."

Aomine flinched despite knowing the words weren't really aimed to him. He almost regretted breaking the silence between them. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay, Aomine-san," she responded with that smile she also shared with Kuroko. The one that was so pale it would take trained eyes to notice. She pulled out a book from the isle and read the cover. "To be honest, I find your company quite enjoyable. I've always been curious about you all since the first time I heard Tetsu-kun talking about you."

"Tetsu told you about us?"

"Yes. Never in details, but enough that I knew he was very happy when you first spoke with him," she hummed softly before returning the book back to the isle. Apparently that was not the one she was looking for. "also enough for me to realize how devastated he was until he entered Seirin."

"I was … stupid back then. Too absorbed in my own self-pity and arrogance to realize how my actions effected people around me. Tetsu took it the hardest. I realized that now and I regretted the past. I can never change what I've done to Tetsu, but at least … at least I can try to fix my mistake and make sure I'll never hurt anyone again."

He didn't really know what prompted him to confess all that. Maybe it was the air of comfortable silence between them. Maybe it was the similarity between her and Kuroko; or maybe Aomine just wanted to assure her he regretted his action. He wasn't sure what the reason was, but he did feel slightly better after saying that. His confession was followed by silence, but it didn't seem judging or oppressive in anyway and Aomine blessed her for that.

"I know you regretted the past. All of you do and I know all of you has changed now. Tetsu-kun is happy lately; the happiest I've ever seen him, so I know everything is alright now."

Aomine mulled over her words and must admit she was right. Despite being rivals now, but the Generation of Miracles was even closer with each other than when they played in the same team. Their rivalries only strengthening the bond between them and indeed, that was a nice feeling. Aomine could feel his lips forming a smile at the thought. He even chuckled a little before shaking his head in amusement. "Maybe Kise's plan really could work. I don't think I'd mind going out with you, Shinonome-san."

"Ah, it's not good to tell a lie, Aomine-san." Her tone managed to convey both chastisement and amusement at the same time. She took yet another book out of the isle and let out a pleased hum when she read the title. She had gotten the book she was searching for. Hugging the book close to her chest, her big sky blue eyes finally looked up at Aomine for the first time since their conversation began. With that pale smile on her face, she gently said, "You don't want to go out with me. After all, you already have someone you love, haven't you?"

She nodded towards something behind him. Aomine turned around in response and suddenly his breath was caught in his throat. He could see Kise and Kasamatsu walking towards them. The blond was talking energetically, hands flying about to emphasize his words, and with a wide grin attached on his face. Kasamatsu for once seemed to listen to what the blond had to say without his usual scowl between his brows. Apparently, college had done Kasamatsu good.

Unnoticed by anyone, Shinonome's smile widened when she saw how completely entranced Aomine was. She resisted the urge to giggle—that would be so out of character for her—and decided to just touch Aomine's elbow softly to bring him back to reality. She wouldn't admit how satisfying it was to see him startled by the touch. She waited until his eyes met with hers before saying,

"You'll be good for each other."

Aomine's eyes widened in response. But then they softened as an equally soft smile changed his whole expression completely. His voice was a whisper as he returned with, "Yeah, I hope so."

"No, Aomine-san. You know so."

They separated with Shinonome not long after that. The girl reassured them she would be alright walking home with Kasamatsu. Although he was still worried, but Aomine decided to trust her words and chose to hold Kise back when the other still seemed unconvinced. They still had a one-on-one to play and besides, Aomine thought it was about time he talked with Kise about the other's plan.

Kise didn't seem happy with Aomine's decision but he wasn't protesting either. His sulk only lasted long enough until their game started. After that, he was too busy trying to compete with Aomine to even remember about his moping. Over years, Kise's skill had improved a lot, yet today he was completely beaten up by Aomine. The tan male played as if they were facing each other in Interhigh once again instead of having a casual one-on-one.

It only took Kise fifteen minutes of trying to defend and get pass through Aomine before he finally fell flat on his ass. His clothes were completely soaked by sweat. He panted as if he had ran a marathon and could only watch as Aomine took a score with a dunk for the last time. They never did a proper scoring in their one-on-one, but this time Kise knew he had lost completely. He could only get three baskets all through their game.

"Aomine-cchi, you don't have to be so angry. I was just trying to do something nice." Kise panted out once he managed to catch his breaths. He knew exactly what had made Aomine so aggressive in their one-on-one; knew it was his own way to channel his annoyance and to tell Kise without really saying it out loud that he was being a pain in the ass.

"Yeah, right. I won't exactly say it was something nice. You just can't mind your own business, can you? I know it was a mistake talking to you yesterday."

"Now, that's unfair." Hurt seeped into Kise's tone and he didn't bother taking it back. He threw a glare towards Aomine who was just standing in front of him with crossed arms. "I am your friend, Aomine-cchi. That's why I want to help you! It's not every day you said you want to have a lover and I … just want to make sure you get the best girl so you can be happy. It's not like I'm forcing you to go out with them! I just want to help."

His voice slowly drifted away into soft, trembling whispers. Aomine could see the way Kise curled his palms in tight fist and when the other lowered his head, Aomine knew he was doing that to hide his scrunched up face. No matter how more mature Kise had become, he would always be an emotional person. The kind that could shed tears easily over happiness, sadness or frustration. This time Aomine knew Kise intentionally adverted his eyes to resist the tears gathering in his eyes.

Guilt started to appear in him. Aomine knew Kise was sincere with what he had said. He truly only wanted to help Aomine finding someone who could be compatible with him and in a way that was quite sweet. All those efforts were rendered useless though since Aomine didn't want that. He didn't want Kise to help him look for his best partner. He wanted Kiseto be his partner. The fact Kise couldn't see that was really frustrating.

Seeing Kise now though, Aomine could admit he might have gone too far. Sighing in regret, he then walked closer to Kise and plopped down beside the blond. Their shoulders brushed with their close proximity. Aomine chose to lean back by resting his weight on his arms and tipped his head up before drawling softly, "Well I guess Shinonome wasn't that bad. You have quite a good sense in choosing girls, at the very least."

"Shino-cchi is very alike with Kuroko-cchi. She was the most obvious choice I had at first." Kise mumbled softly. He still hadn't lifted his head up but at least his fists had uncurled. He knew Aomine was never good at apologizing and the acknowledgement towards Shinonome was the tan male's own way in saying he was sorry. It was a lame way to apologize for sure, but still Kise couldn't help being touched by it. At least Aomine tried to apologize to him.

Finally lifting his head up, Kise's honey brown eyes peered at Aomine with undisguised curiosity. "You were getting along really well with Shino-cchi. Why don't you ask her for another date?"

"Were you even listening to me?! Stop forcing me to go out with someone!" Aomine hit Kise's head lightly only because he knew it would be forgiven now. "Besides, Shinonome and I get along well exactly because we both don't want to pursue any romantic endeavour. Next time, if you wanted to set me up with someone, at least made sure I wouldn't look like a yakuza standing beside a little girl."

The picture that came along with Aomine's words made Kise giggle. He could say it was really appropriate. Aomine did look even more menacing when he stood beside the sweet and petite Shinonome. His giggled only grew louder when Aomine threw a sharp glare at him. He waved his hand in surrendering manner as he tried to control his hilarity. "I'm sorry. It's just that—pfftt, you do look like a yakuza sometimes. Aaah, I will make sure to note that though. So now that you've figured out my plan, why don't you give me more details about what you want to get from your future partner?"

"Equality, that's for sure." Aomine answered promptly. "Okay, I know there are not a lot of people who is as tall as I am, but at least I want to make sure people don't mistake me as a criminal when I walk with them."

"Well, that's quite difficult, but thankfully I work in a model agency. There must be some ridiculously tall girls out there. What else?"

"I'm not saying this because I'm a vain person who only cared about appearance, but I guess I want to have a partner who is … good looking. They don't have to be stunningly gorgeous, but at least I want to make sure I can look at their face without feeling bored. They should be fit too, because I want to be their partner, not their care-taker or nurse. I like someone who has good sense of humor too and perhaps a little stubborn so they could stand my own stubbornness."

"That's quite a long list you have there. Let's just hope I can find someone who fits all of the requirements."

"I've told you before, you don't really have to do this. I didn't mean anything in particular when I said I want to have a lover. You're overreacting, Kise."

"I don't care. I'm determined to do this, Aomine-cchi! You just wait and see! I will find you the most suitable partner and then when you two are actually going out, I will demand a token of gratitude for my effort!" Kise laughed before standing up. He stretched his arms and turned to grin at Aomine. "I will find you a partner soon. You don't have to worry!"

But I don't want that, Aomine wanted to shout. He managed to bite his lips in time and just watched as Kise hummed cheerfully while walking towards the bench where they put their bags on. He watched as the blond took a bottle of mineral water. He kept on watching as Kise uncapped the bottle and started to drink, his throat working as he swallowed. It was then Aomine lowered his gaze towards his open palms just to make sure he wouldn't do anything stupid. I don't want you to find me a partner, Kise. I want you to be my partner. Why can't you see that?

Aomine sighed heavily. He let go all of his frustration and anger with that one big sigh. It was not Kise's fault he couldn't figure out Aomine's feelings. After all, he never planned to confess to the blond either. Besides, even if it was frustrating, but Kise's ignorance could be interesting to watch sometimes.

"You're truly an idiot, Kise." He drawled as he stood up.

"What have I done now?! Calling people idiot out of the blue is impolite, Ahomine-cchi!"

Kise protested vehemently, but Aomine just tipped his head back and laugh. He would play along with anything Kise was planning for now. After all, he was quite satisfied with this simple intimacy they shared. Participating in a silly match-making was only a small price he had to pay to keep Kise happy and Aomine would do it willingly.

To be Continued ...