Chapter 2 : Blue

So you're all here to hear it! The flashback I promised all of you. I'll just let you know that all of this means a lot..

Um. I'll just start.

Aomine tugged awkwardly at the pants his mother had forced him to wear to the party he was attending of his own choice.

What makes an 11 year old want to come to a party? Why, cake of course. Especially this gluttonous evil child. I haven't seen him back then, but I have seen a certain person I'm going to introduce to you very soon eat cake.

And then you'll see..

"Dai-chan!" came Momoi's voice in a sing-song tune as she made her way to him.

Somebody dreamed of cotton candy and decided to roll with that as a birthday outfit. There is no other explanation to the pink paradise the birthday girl sports on this day. The pink hair..And the pink dress with everything else being pink along with it..

Ugh.

I have no reason to like the girl at 11 okay? Bring her to me now.. At 16 and that's a whole different story but at 11 and all clad in that pink.

Yeah, save it.

Aomine turned around and flashed his best friend a grin. They had known each other forever- even though it means little when she's only just turning 11 but that's the way they say it so whatever.

"Happy birthday Satsuki! You look like candy..!"

Look who's agreeing with who here. Do I get extra points for thinking the same as this boy who is loved by literally everyone in this world?

Well, I do have my hopes.

"Thank you! You've come just in time as I'm just about to cut the cake. Lets go!"

She caught his hand and the talk of candy was forgotten as the word cake was uttered.

Kids. One thing to another, am I right?

With what I can only imagine as loud cheering and clapping..

Ehh. Just imagine a lot of noise and a lot of pink while a flat-chested Momoi cuts the cake with all the eagerness in the world while Aomine stood on her left and another girl stood to her right.

Both tried to clap harder than everyone else in the room and the unconscious brawl continued for a long while until the cake came up for distribution.

So you've seen the boy at 16.. He's competitive, isn't he? Well. Imagine that combined with the childishness that comes with that tender age. Not a pretty sight, I bet. No abs at that age after all. So now you begin to understand my plight with Momoi huh?

Oh my god I'm coming off as a pervert! Ugh. Well.. It isn't exactly like that. I'm just a boy. I'm stuck at 16. I can't get over it. Does that explain anything?

Aomine had entered the house with determination. A lot of it at that. After all, it was by his choice that Momoi had given up a cake pinker than.. well, her hair for a three tiered chocolate cake decorated with cherries.

It was now upto Aomine to eat monstrous amounts of cake and prove who's king in the crowd.

He sincerely considered it the job of a best friend and a way to make necessary claims.

His blue head made way through the crowd to get himself the largest piece of cake in history. All thoughts of knives and plates ran through the boy's head as he did. The discomfort of his clothes was long gone as well.

"... Rumi-chan, that'll definitely make you sick. Mom told me so and that is a really huge piece."

Aomine turned to this Rumi person who had apparently taken a large piece. His eyes fell on tiny hands that held a plate. The plate held the cake he had been fantasizing a lot about. An instant comparison was made between the piece he saw and the image he had in his mind that was to be his share. The images didn't match as well as he wanted to.

"Oh there's no such thing as too much chocolate cake, Sa-chan!"

Her smile revealed a tiny gap between her teeth that must have looked cute.

Yeah. Totally missed that one. I can't be pleased about seeing Momoi only in Junior High anymore.

Aomine would have agreed with her statement if he hadn't been eyeing the plate in her hand too intently. The stubbornness took over everything else as he stepped in.

"Ehh.. Are you really sure about that?"

Momoi pinked up at the sight of the two people she had dreamed of introducing all her life.

"Dai-chan! I was just about to come look for you.. Meet my best friend Tsu-chan. And Tsu-chan, meet my best friend Dai-cha-"

"Oi Satsuki! Don't call me your best friend if you're going to call everyone the same thing. You can only have one best in anything."

You're getting this right? Where it all started? The madness was in him! It wasn't due to the conditions and all that- he was a monster to begin with!

His interruption made the birthday girl pale instantly as the dilemma struck her. She had always considered both of them as her very best friends. They hadn't met at all and yet, they were the closest people to the girl.

A choice or a decision seemed impossible to make but the solution came from the girl who held cake.

"Ahh! So this is him? Aomine-kun, Sa-chan has told me all about you. We're both dear friends of her so I don't see why we should make her choose. Because that would definitely hurt Sa-chan and since we both love her very much… We'll never hurt her, right?"

Eleven year olds talking about love. What have we here? Well. I can never get ahead of myself when it comes to this. I 'accidentally' 'stumbled' upon a birthday album and saw a picture that was taken on the day.

She wore a blue dress and matching boots.

It had to be blue.

"Hah?! I don't love Satsuki..! And if you're so close to her then how come I've never heard of you?

Yeah. That's embarrassing. He is a boy after all. What was she thinking? Not that I'm saying she spoke wrong- nothing can be wrong if said in that way of hers, okay? So shut it.

"Dai-chan! I've mentioned Rumi-chan a thousand times to you!"

"Then I just have to introduce myself officially. I'm Tsurumi Inori. Its so nice to finally meet you!"

Her smile as she introduced herself to an embarrassed eleven year old boy in the presence of an incredulous birthday girl (who had spoken too much about her dear friend to her other dear friend who had apparently ignored all of it)… her smile got their attention.

Her sincerity showed as she bowed in introduction.

As sincere as a whispered prayer. Just as the name.

Aomine walked out last after his team onto the court and it was as if the crowd woke up at the sight of him. The roar of the crowd, the thunderous clapping and cheering, the colorful banners and the incessant chanting- they were chanting his name like a prayer.

Prayer, huh?

"Glad to have you arrive on time today Aomine."

His captain's remark irked him instantly and he held none of the irritation back.

"No guarantee I'll stay."

The chanting never reached his ears. He was past the place where there was any need for a prayer.

He will win.

A/N: Let me know if you like ghost dude!