-Keep Close-
Summary: Kuroko and Aomine are still trying to pick up Yuki's trail while sorting our their individual feelings. Meanwhile, Kagami is with Himuro as they try to retrieve Alex.
Warning: More AoKuro internal conflict. BL included. ^_^
Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Kuroko no Baske. All rights go to Fujimaki Tadatoshi-sensei. ^_^
-Chapter Six: Revealing intentions-
Kuroko woke up to the sound of the alarm that morning. He extended his hand to reach it on the bedside and turn it off but realized that it was hard for him to move. He looked to find what was impeding him and saw that an arm was hugging his waist.
Aomine's arm!
He laid back down on the bed. Aomine stirred but still did not wake up. All the events of last night flashed through Kuroko's mind. He washed his face with his hands. He thought he just made the biggest mistake he could have ever done.
He slept with his friend. It was not just that. He slept with Aomine out of loneliness and because his heart got broken! And to think that Aomine was a guy! He was stupid. What he did was something unforgivable and selfish as a friend. He was not sure with how to face Aomine or even talk to him once he wakes up.
Aomine stirred again and hugged him even closer. It was a good thing that they had a blanket over their naked bodies. He could not see where their bodies touched but he could still feel the warmth of Aomine's body. He could even feel Aomine's—
He stopped himself from thinking. It was just wrong. This whole setup was just wrong.
He carefully removed Aomine's arm from him and gingerly climbed out of bed. He headed for the shower to clear his mind off.
The water from the shower was flowing down his body. Kuroko could still not put away all the memories of last night. He punched the tiled wall of the bathroom with the side of his fist. He gritted his teeth.
He had been unfaithful. At the spur of the moment, just because of one 'I'm sorry' from Yuki, he was torn. He became mindless and had only his emotions and need for love and affection take over. It was human nature to want to be loved and cared for. But not like this.
He was the worst. He slept with his friend on a rebound. He cheated on his girlfriend.
He ran his hands through his hair.
What should I do?
Kagami wiped the sweat off of his forehead with a towel. He just finished a few rounds of basketball with Himuro.
"Here." Kagami took a clean towel from his bag and passed it over to Himuro.
"Thanks." The other guy also wiped his sweat as he sat down on the bench beside Kagami.
It was early morning. Kagami needed to clear his mind off things so that he would be able to think better later. Basketball helped him with that. He was also thankful that Himuro was there to play with him.
He drank some water from his bottle and then turned to Himuro. "Are you sure it's basketball that the kidnappers were talking about when they said that it's something both you and Alex are good at?"
Himuro nodded. "But I have not seriously played basketball for a few years. I play from time to time but only on minor competitions. I'm focusing more on my work so I rarely play these days."
Kagami lightly shook his head. "The woes of a salaryman," he said.
Himuro was working as an account manager in an international IT firm. He was the one who handled some of the international accounts since he was well-versed in English.
"You tell me, Mr. Fireman. I'm sure you only play on your day off," Himuro said.
"We have a basketball court near the station. I always play if I want to," he said.
"You didn't think of going pro, huh?"
"What about you, Tatsuya? Why didn't you come back with me to America to play college basketball? It was actually fun playing against stronger opponents. It would've made your blood hot with excitement." He grinned for a bit.
Himuro sighed. "There were a lot of things that happened then, Taiga. I couldn't make that decision at that time."
Kagami remembered that Himuro's grandfather died just before graduation. He was forced to work in their family's company. His father became the president of the company and would have made him a VP. But the guy insisted on working from the bottom up since he was good with computers. He was still working on it until now.
"We just need to win a game, right?" Kagami said.
Himuro nodded. "I hope it's as easy as it appears."
"I'll make a few calls and see if we can get some people to help out. Do you also have some people in mind, Tatsuya?" he said.
"Yeah." Himuro took out his cell phone from his own bag. He looked through his contact list. "I think I can call some people. But the kidnappers still has not told us the terms or if it's really basketball. Maybe we're already jumping the gun here."
"But at least it's better to be prepared, right?" he said.
"I guess. I just want Alex to be safe," Himuro said.
Kagami put his hand on Himuro's shoulder. "I want Alex back, too. Don't worry, Tatsuya. We will win this and get her back."
When Aomine woke up, Kuroko had already gone. He had left a note on the bedside table saying that he had to go early to the school for something important.
He run his hand through his hair as he thought about what had transpired last night. He lightly hit his forehead with his palm several times. He felt so stupid for letting things happen the way they did last night.
Kuroko was lonely and he took advantage of it just to fulfill his own desires. He should not have done it. No. As a friend, he should have comforted the guy some other way and not sleep with him. He was the worst friend ever.
He took a deep breath before standing up and headed for the shower.
He was somehow thankful that Kuroko had already gone. He was not sure how to face the guy after last night. He had no face to show.
In truth, he was afraid to face Kuroko. Aomine was afraid that he would hate him because of what he did. He was even the one who did those things... He stopped his train of thought since the images of last night flashed through his mind like a series of pictures. He shook his head and went under the shower.
He should act cool about it. Yes, that should be the best way in dealing with the aftermath of last night. He should be steadfast in being a friend who would always be there for Kuroko. Never mind his own desires, he should put Kuroko's feelings before his own. And if ever—if ever Kuroko would want to be held and assured in the future, then he would—
He pounded the bathroom wall with his fists.
There's no way that last night would happen again, idiot, he told himself. Kuroko would certainly never allow it.
He gritted his teeth. What was worst was that he did not regret or feel sorry for what happened last night. He might have regretted at the start but thinking hard on it now, he was able to fulfill his most deepest desire since he first realized his feelings for Kuroko. Aomine was able to hold him. And the only desire he had left unfulfilled was to make Kuroko completely his.
He shook his head. The cold water hitting hard on his body.
The last desire would never be fulfilled. Kuroko would never be his. He was never his from the beginning. Now, he belonged to someone else. He belonged to Yuki.
Aomine took a deep breath once again.
Aomine was reading the report that a teammate submitted about the illegal gambling website that they were still not able to crack. He had the urge to find a hacker and have the site hacked just to have some progress with the investigation connected with the Ring. But that was illegal and it was not allowed by the government. He gritted his teeth.
He pinched the bridge of his nose. He had been burying himself with paperwork the whole day. It was a vain attempt to forget about last night. He tried. But Kuroko was still able to occupy every corner of his mind.
Kuroko's voice, his cries, his warmth, his touch, his body...
Aomine shook his head. Kuroko was slowly driving him crazy.
He heard his cell phone ring. He answered it when he saw who was calling.
"Hello, Dai-chan?" he heard a sweet-toned voice say.
"Ah, Satsuki, how are you?"
It was Momoi that was calling. Aomine straightened his back. It was a an interesting coincidence that Yuki's last name was Momoi's first. He realized it just now. He shook his head again.
"Mou, Dai-chan. Why are you keeping things from me again?" Momoi said.
Aomine sighed. Momoi ignored his greeting. It was so like her to go straight to the punch.
"What do you want?" he said.
"Mou, you really are mean just like Ki-chan said."
Ki-chan meant Kise Ryouta. Aomine 'tsked' when he heard Kise's name mentioned. That guy sure was a blabbermouth. Aomine would need to teach that blond idiot a lesson next time they meet.
"No need to be mad, Dai-chan. I just want in on your game. Oh please, please! I want to see Tetsu-kun again. You're even hogging Tetsu-kun all by yourself now. Please let me play with him for a while, ne? Onegai," Momoi said, still maintaining her sweet tone.
He sighed. There was no winning with Momoi when she acts all sweet like this. It would actually be better if she sounded angry or commanding. At least he knew what to expect from her. But when she's all saccarine sweet like that, that meant she was dead serious. If he refused now, she would hunt him down and threaten to divulge every piece of vital information she has on him to their common friends. Being a data specialist, Momoi's ability was like a double-edged sword. Maybe it would not hurt if she was on board. Maybe he could let her do some covert researching for him.
"Fine. I'll call you later. We need to meet so that we can talk about the details."
"Yey! I knew you wouldn't say no to me, Dai-chan. You really are the best. I can finally see my Tetsu-kun. I'm excited. Can you bring Tetsu-kun along with you when we meet? Onegai!"
Aomine leaned away from his phone. Momoi's voice suddenly went to several decibels higher than before. He was able to avoid his ear drums from breaking.
"Calm down, will you?" he said with a hard tone.
"Mou, Dai-chan." He could see Momoi pouting in his head. She would always do that when they were young.
"Fine. I will bring Tetsu along. But in turn, I need you to do something for me."
"Sure. What is it?" He could see Momoi smiling from ear to ear now. He sighed.
"I'll tell you when we meet. Just wait for my call."
"Okay, Dai-chan. I'll be waiting. Mata ne."
The line went dead even before he could say anything more. He sighed again. Despite Momoi being busy with her own basketball team and her part-time modelling, she was still able to nose her way into his and Kuroko's business. She really was an incredible woman.
Aomine remembered that Momoi used to always follow Kuroko around. Everyone considered Momoi and Kuroko as a couple not unless the light blue-haired guy would correct her. He used to just watch the two before. He was good at masking his feelings. And Momoi was a childhood friend. He had no ill feelings towards her for always chasing after Kuroko or for liking him. He understood the feeling since Momoi's 'like' for Kuroko was also one-sided like his.
And when they were going towards high school exams, he was sure that Momoi would follow Kuroko. But in the end, she chose Aomine. He was somewhat thankful because that was one way to separate Momoi from Kuroko. But he also felt rotten for feeling thankful so he continued being his arogant self just to erase that feeling. And so, that brought him with Momoi against Kuroko as enemies in the court in high school. A lot of things started happening then. Some, it was better for him to forget.
Aomine waited at Maji Burger. He found one near Kuroko's school. It was nearly the time the students went home. He sent Kuroko a message telling him to meet at the fast food chain.
He remembered that they would always go to Maji Burger back in middle school. He knew that Kuroko liked the vanilla milk shakes that Maji Burger sold. He was sure that Kuroko also went to another chain store in high school with his teammates.
He watched the street outside through the glass wall to watch out for Kuroko. This was all part of his plan of acting cool. He would at least try to pretend that last night did not happen. Or if Kuroko was the one to open up the topic, he would only tell him that he was just easing his loneliness without revealing his true feelings.
He heard his cell phone beep. He read the message that he just received. Momoi was apparently near the area because she was just watching a basketball match against her team's opponents. She said that she was free now and could meet them.
Aomine emailed her just after he settled at a table at Maji Burger. He needed to find information on the Ring or on Yuki. That's where Momoi's expertise could come in handy.
"Dai-chan!" Momoi said as soon as she saw him when she entered.
He stood up and said, "Don't call me Dai-chan anymore, Satsuki. It's Daiki for you now." He suddenly remembered Kuroko calling him by his first name. That made Aomine stop for a split-second but was able to regain his composure. He hoped Momoi did not notice it.
Momoi sat on the chair opposite of his and he also sat down again. She put her hands on her hips and pouted. "Mou, Dai-chan. I refuse to do that."
They stared at each other without blinking until Aomine gave up. He sighed. "Suit yourself."
"Yey! You're the best, Dai-chan." Momoi clapped her hands.
"So, what do you want to eat?"
"Are you treating me?"
"Since I'm the one asking for a favor, I figured I should treat you," he said.
"Okay. It's been a long time since you treated me to anything anyway. Policemen are so stingy these days."
"I'm not stingy. I'm just busy. Wait, are you talking about me?"
Momoi smiled meaningfully. Aomine jumped into the conclusion that she was talking about him but she probably meant someone else.
"Hmm... I'm not saying." She stuck out her tongue.
"You're dating a policeman, aren't you?" He said in a low voice. He leaned closer to her from across the table.
Momoi just smiled meaningfully again.
He shook his head. Momoi really won't budge if she didn't want to. That was why she was relentless in chasing after Kuroko when they were in middle school before. He stood up. "I will order for you. Want anything?"
"Burger and fries and a strawberry shake, onegai," she said.
"Okay, just wait here." He went to line up at the counter to order for Momoi.
When he got back with her order, Momoi happily ate her food. Aomine also ate what was left of his own before Momoi arrived. He would just try and eat a little more later once Kuroko arrives. Aomine hoped that he would come.
He looked at his wrist watch because Kuroko has still not arrived. It was already getting dark. "I need you to look into something for me," he said after they finished eating.
"What is it, Dai-chan?"
"I need you to get information about a woman named Satsuki Yuki. You can also look into someone named Sayu."
"Any additional information you can add before I gather data?" Momoi seemed interested all of a sudden. She probably already knew that he was investigating along with Kuroko because of his girlfriend. He was sure Momoi's data would give her that knowledge.
"Do I need to?"
Momoi smiled meaningfully again. "You caught me, detective."
He shook his head. "Please keep this from Kuroko."
Momoi nodded.
"And if you can..." He looked around first before continuing. He lowered his voice and leaned closer to Momoi. She also leaned closer to his as if she understood the importance of not being overheard. "Please look into the Black Ring and it's people. If you can find any information. Even if it's just small. And if you can, try to visit the site that I will email to you, okay?"
"Okay. You can count on me," Momoi said.
"You need to be careful, Satsuki. This is a very sensitive operation. And I don't want Kuroko knowing some unnecessary information."
"Don't worry, Dai-chan. Leave it to me."
When they both straightened their backs on their seats, Aomine said, "And if you're free, I would like to to act as a coach for us. We're going to play ball if we manage to get hold of a contact."
"Of course. If it's for Tetsu-kun then I will gladly coach him along with you. So who are the other members? Don't tell me—" She clasped her hands together on the table.
"Yeah. I've asked some of our teammates from middle school. The ones who know seems to have shown interest in playing together again."
Momoi nodded. "That's good then. I'm excited to see how you guys would play after a long time. This is the greatest reunion for Teiko ever," Momoi said with a wide smile.
"What do you mean reunion, Momoi-san?"
Aomine and Momoi were both caught unaware of Kuroko. He was already standing beside their table that was why he overheard what Momoi said. Aomine and Momoi both stood up. It was a long time since this happened.
"It's been a long time, Tetsu-kun. It's so good to see you," Momoi said with a smile. She went to give Kuroko a rib-breaking hug especially with her huge breasts. Aomine just shook his head as Momoi gave him a meaningful smile while hugging Kuroko.
She seemed to say with her eyes that she knew something was up. It was as if she knew all along with that look on her face. It made Aomine uneasy but he tried to ignore it.
"Momoi-san, I can't breathe," Kuroko said with his usual blank face. When Momoi let go of Kuroko and they all sat down, he said, "It's also good to see you after a long time, Momoi-san. You're looking good."
Aomine felt awkard sitting next to Kuroko. But the guy acted like last night did not happen. The guy just probably did not want Momoi to notice anything different. If that was what he wanted, then Aomine was willing to cooperate.
"So what were you guys talking about?" Kuroko said.
Aomine looked at Momoi first before answering. He smiled. "It was about our old basketball team from middle school. There was this plan of playing together again one day. Momoi got excited about it and went to meet us here."
"That's right, Tetsu-kun. I want to see you play again," Momoi said. Aomine gave her a thankful glance.
Kuroko nodded. "Is this about Yuki?" he said without batting an eyelash.
Aomine gulped involuntarily. Kuroko really had a good sense about things involving Yuki. "Y-yes, something related to that," he said.
Kuroko turned to him. "Are we playing basketball to find Yuki?"
He nodded. "It's one step closer to Yuki. But we need to find our contact first before we can play a game. And our opponents are unknown as well."
"Then I'm in. I will play if it's for Yuki," Kuroko said.
"Mou, Tetsu-kun, why didn't you choose me? Tetsu-kun would be happy if you were with me," Momoi said.
Kuroko turned to Momoi. "Thank you, Momoi-san. I appreciate your offer although it's a bit late."
Momoi just pouted at Kuroko.
Aomine shook his head at Momoi. "Satsuki, stop fooling around with Tetsu. You already have a policeman to date."
"I just though I should try it out," Momoi said as she scratched the back of her ear while grinning.
"I'm happy for you, Momoi-san," Kuroko said.
Aomine secretly looked at Kuroko and saw that the guy still had his poker face. He could never guess what he was thinking. His voice sounded sincere but it was as if he heard a faint trace of bitterness in them. Was Kuroko bitter because he was not happy and Momoi was and he did not choose her? Or was he happy because Momoi had finally moved on from him? He shooed away those thoughts more for his own sake and not for Momoi's.
It was rush hour. They took the train from the station near Maji Burger to Aomine's apartment. The train cars were packed that evening. Aomine and Kuroko had to stand beside each other in the packed train.
Momoi's apartment was in the opposite direction so she parted ways from them at the station.
They were facing each other and had several inches of distance. Aomine could not help but stare at Kuroko's light blue hair since he was taller.
The train stopped at one station and more passengers went in. The train got more packed than ever. Someone got pushed towards their direction and that caused Kuroko to get out of balance and crash directly into Aomine. Aomine instinctively hugged his with one hand as the other held the support on the railings.
He could feel Kuroko's body pressed against him. The guy wanted to move away but the spot he had before was already occupied. Kuroko looked up to him and said, "Sorry."
"It's okay. Just hold on to me," he said. He was not able to take his hand that was hugging Kuroko away since it was too crowded now.
He felt Kuroko hold on to his coat with two hands. It made Aomine smile secretly. He felt happy. Just being like this was enough for him. He hoped that the train ride would not end. But he knew it would just be a foolish wish.
...
[A/N: Huwah! Done with this chapter. Now off to watch Lee Min Ho in Faith! Kekeke!
Any reviews would be very much welcome. Thank you for expressing your love for Keep Close. I do notice that the viewership is getting higher. Thank you lots! Minna daisuki!
And please pardon any mistakes. I will re-edit this later. ^_^
...
Finished with the edit. Now back to Lee Min Hot. lol ]