Well hello there. This is my first fanfiction ever so yeah. There won't be too many chapters and the rating may change to M for lemons. I think. Not sure yet. Oh well, Aomine / Kise here. Enjoy!

Time seemed to stop. The public, who waited for the result of the match with their breaths caught in their throats, encouraging both teams, stopped talking. Silence reigned over the court and nothing seemed to move in that split second. He had his eyes open, pointing towards the board, yet his mind couldn't fathom what had just happened. It had taken him less than a minute to understand, to fully process the information. He gave it all and lost. His team fought with everything it's got but sometimes everything just wasn't enough. Pain and sadness rushed through his heart with every passing second. The moment passed and the public made itself felt,resuming their shouting. It was a good match, of that he was aware. It was one of the best matches with two of the generation of miracles' members as rival protagonists. That didn't help soothe him, though.

Nothing could help right now.

He vaguely remembered he wasn't alone on court and turned his head around, looking for his teammates. Their faces blank, he was unable to read them. His was mostlikely the same. It takes time for reality to sink in after everyone gives their best until the very end, after victory seems so close. He had always admired Daiki, ever since he had met him for the first time. That stupid impulsive boy somehow became his goal. The point he wanted to reach. He gave it all for that sole purpose and now he had finally managed to force Daiki to give his all too, conscious and afraid of a very possible loss. They were on the same level and he was so close. So fucking close. It felt as though he could actually grasp victory, he touched it with his fingertips and almost caught it, almost..

..until it was violently snatched away from him.

''Both teams, line up!''

The voice barely reached his ears, a small part of him still unable to accept such a painful and undeserved loss; because to him, it was undeserved. Unfair. They all played at their best, they DESERVED it so why didn't they win? He finally tried to get up, then miserably fell again, his legs incapable of supporting him anymore. Why? Why couldn't he get up? Why did his body act like this after playing on the same level with Aomine? Was the difference in their strenght so great that his body couldn't even respond after just a match? Slowly raising his head, he saw Touou's famous ace, walking just fine. The pain in his chest increased tenfold. Aomine walked in his direction but it wasn't him who offered his hand. Kasamatsu stood tall and proud, keeping his head high, unwilling to lower it in front of the rival team. They played at their best and had absolutely nothing to be ashamed about.

''Can you stand?''

''Senpai, I..'' He stopped, voice broken, already unable to control his emotions. When had he become so weak?

His teammate forced him to stand up, helping him reach the meeting point, but he didn't feel like facing Aomine again so he kept his head low. 'There's nothing for a winner to say to a loser', and Kise was the loser. He always had been against Daiki, after all. He hated himself; he was pathetically crying and even though he was the team's ace it was Kasamatsu who encouraged everyone, who kept the team's morale up. It was Kasamatsu who was the pillar of the team right now, the one every single member clinged to for support. Among the regret and pain overwhelming him, he could still find himself deeply admiring his senpai's strengh.

Even though he couldn't see him, facing the pavement as he was, Aomine's presence was that of a giant, bigger than Murasakibara, more invincible than Akashi. He most likely wasn't, but it felt as though as he was to Kise. The two teams moved, their aces as opposite poles; they both had the public's eyes on them, yet Aomine was walking as a victor whereas Kise was pitifully being carried away as a loser. He had never known what it was like to put everything, every single breath and move into a goal and then not reach it. He had never known it and now that he did it hurt so much he could barely breathe. He tried. He did everything he could. The whole team was relaying on HIM and he miserably failed. He disappointed everyone. He turned to look behind once more, at the victors of the match.

If only he was stronger, it could have been them.