Chapter Seven: The Shinkyou-Seirin Match Part 2

Hi, everyone! *waves at computer screen like a derp* I'm sorry for the pause in updates, and I'll be really busy over the next few weeks, so don't expect much more. There's gonna be more KagaKuro fluff today, and Kagami's gonna get his first look at Midorima.

I'd like to thank hitomi65, Kichou, , Held Together With Tape, aki(guest), JJ(guest), Day-DayRyoshka, Dareagon, and konan248 for their reviews.

The Shinkyou captain was pissed. It was one thing to be good at basketball, but it was another thing altogether to be a short girl and be good at basketball. Who did this number 11 bitch think she was? He caught the ball. "Let's give it back to them!" he shouted at another player, passing the ball.

Before they could react, Kuroko was between them, passing the ball back to Kagami. He grinned and dunked it once more. The crowd was awed at the display. That's two dunks in a row! This is only the first round of the preliminaries!

"Is it just me, or is Tetsu-chan on her A-game today?" Kagami whispered to Hyuuga.

Hyuuga grinned and called out, "Are you really that mad about being called a girl, Kuroko-chan?"

"I am mad that I was underestimated because of my gender," she said in an icy voice, making all nearby shudder violently. "After today, Tou-san will not make that mistake."

At the end of the first quarter, the board read 8-23 in Seirin's favor. "Kuroko-chan, you have a time limit, so we're swapping you out here. We're gonna lose some power mid-game, but don't let them close the point gap. Their only dangerous player is Tou-san, so it comes down to how well Kagami-kun handles him."

"Just leave it to me," Kagami assured.

"Good luck, Taiga-san," Kuroko said quietly, gripping the back of his jersey as they moved out on to the court. "Do not let Tou-san get to you."

"Please, I was born lucky."

As the game went on, Kagami got more and more aggressive with his blocks and shoots. Tou-san was making even fewer baskets than he had in the first quarter, and Kagami was getting even cockier.

At 5:08 in the fourth quarter, the score was 51-60 in Seirin's favor. Aida was starting to get worried. We can't cut it this close, not in the preliminaries. "Kuroko-chan, are you good for the last five minutes?"

"I have been ready for a while now, Coach."

"Sorry, sorry." Then a thought came to her. "Kuroko-chan, come here."

"Yes, Coach?" she questioned, leaning closer.

Aida cupped a hand over the first-year's ear. "When you stretch before you go back out, try arching your back a little. Kagami-kun will definitely notice!"

Kuroko flushed and nodded.

"Player switch, Seirin!"

Koganei openly stared at Kuroko's chest when he walked back to the bench after seeing her stretching display, making Kagami growl. No one should stare at my Tetsu-chan like that. Wait, "my"? Why did I add that possessive?

Kagami forgot all about the stretching when the game resumed. Kuroko was back to full power after being benched for so long.

Tou-san, though, refused to quit. "I don't want to lose!" he whined in the last seconds. "I won't lose to a little girl!" He jumped to shoot.

"You say you're disappointed in the Generation of Miracles!" Kagami snarled, "but you overestimate yourself!" He jumped as well. "Compared to them, you're an easy opponent!" And he smacked the ball out of the foreign student's hand as the buzzer sounded, fulfilling the first thing Kagami said would happen in the game.

The final score was 67-79 in Seirin's favor.

Kagami whooped and picked Kuroko up in a lung-crushing hug, which she eagerly returned. "We won!" he cheered.

"Did you ever have any doubts?" she laughed.

They didn't notice the green-haired young man watching the entire thing. Midorima smirked and pushed his glasses up his nose.

After they showered in the locker room, Kagami and Kuroko were packing up their bags. Kuroko noticed Tou-san walk up first and nudge her partner with her elbow. "He wants to talk to you."

Kagami nodded and stood up.

Tou-san regarded him coolly for a moment before saying, "I lost."

"Huh?"

"Play well in my place for the next game, Kagami-san. I'm rooting for you." He held out one of his dark hands.

Kagami grinned and took it, and the two shook hands. "Thanks for the game, Tou-san."

As the team changed, a quickly-dressed Kuroko approached Kagami, flushing slightly. "Taiga-san, I have a favor to ask."

"What's up, Tetsu-chan?" he asked, pulling his shirt down over his head.

"Uh," she stuttered, refusing to meet his gaze, "Okaa-san would like to have you over for dinner tonight."

There was a moment of complete silence as the rest of the team stared—for several reasons.

Kuroko was blushingKagami was blushingKuroko just asked Kagami to have dinner with her motherKuroko talked about Kagami enough at home to have her mother invite him over for dinner

After that stunned, silent moment, Kagami nodded his head. "Uh, sure. What time?"

Kuroko smiled, something that was an even rarer treat to the Seirin team than her flush, as she often blushed from exertion during practices. "We usually eat late, so around seven should be fine." She spun on her heel and announced, "I have to leave early today, so I will see you at school on Monday." With that, she strode out of the room, an odd air of confidence in the air around her.

Kagami had never been so nervous in his life.

He stood at the front of Kuroko's now familiar house, tugging nervously at the collar of his shirt. He'd decided to wear a button-down shirt to dinner with her family, and he was starting to regret it. What if she's wearing sweats? Man, I look like an idiot!

After a few moments of deliberation and a quick run-through of several excuses he could make to get out of this meal (one of which being calling the coach and begging her to give him more exercises), he choked down his fear and knocked on the door.

When the piece of wood swung open, it revealed what appeared to be an older Kuroko. The woman was just a bit shorter than her daughter, though her face was much more open, revealing her jubilance. There was paint smeared on the pale skin of her face and all over her blue jean overalls and her hair was tied in a messy knot at the top of her head. "You must be Kagami-kun!" she chirped, gripping his arm and pulling him inside. "I didn't realize how late it got! Please, come on in! Tetsuya's getting dressed in her room, so she'll be down in a minute. I'm going to take a quick shower. Make yourself at home!" With that, the woman dashed up the stairs.

Kagami silently wandered into the living room. It was much the same as when he'd visited before, though this time there was a new picture on the wall. It was actually a painting that, from the scene he'd just witnessed, Kuroko's mother painted. The paining showed Kuroko asleep on a white wooden bench, her face serene. Kagami felt his face heat up drastically and he looked away from the image.

"Taiga-san?"

His head turned instinctively towards the sound of his name spoken in that soft voice of his partner's. She was wearing a simple black blouse and a white skirt, a far cry from what he usually saw her in. Even though she did wear the girl's uniform at school, it wasn't very feminine, but this…

Her head cocked to the side. "Taiga-san, are you well? You look rather flushed."

Kagami mentally swore at himself. "I'm fine, Tetsu-chan."

She looked at him inquisitively for a moment before she shrugged, the action causing her shirt to lift and reveal a sliver of her midriff and making his face heat further. I've seen her half naked plenty of times, so why the hell am I so flustered now?

Kuroko turned to look at the painting he'd been observing. "Mama painted that the day after you visited last week. She likes to paint a lot. Right now, she is painting a mural on the bathroom wall, so you will have to use the bathroom on the second floor tonight. I apologize for the inconvenience." Then she turned to look at him, and her face went bright red as well. "You look very nice tonight, Taiga-san."

"Thanks."

Then Kuroko's mother came back downstairs, her long teal hair wet and sticking to her skin and the fabric of her simple white-and-pink polka dotted dress. "Sorry for the wait!" she gasped breathlessly. "I use heavy duty paint!"

"Mama, you still have some purple in your hair," Kuroko droned, an amused twinkle in her eyes.

Her mother's hands flew to her hair dramatically. "Oh, the horror!"

Kagami barked a laugh, which in turn made Kuroko giggle slightly. Her mother's eyes lit up at her daughter's giggle. "It's nice to meet you, Kuroko-san," he said, extending a hand, which the older woman took.

"Oh, Kagami-kun, please call me Ayumi. Now, what are you doing standing up? Sit down, sit down!" Ayumi's rather forceful hands pressed onto his shoulders and forced him to sit on the loveseat. Kuroko quickly sat next to him to avoid receiving the same treatment. "So, you're on the basketball team with Tetsuya, right?" she continued, sitting on the chair. "She's been talking non-stop about you!"

Kuroko's face went red. Kagami smirked at the sight before he replied. "Yeah, we're on the team together. We're partners."

Ayumi nodded. "Yeah, you're about the right height," she mused, giving Kagami a cursory glance. "Tetsuya's always been drawn to tall people."

"Mama!" the girl in question exclaimed, embarrassed.

Ayumi's broad laugh filled the room, and Kagami felt compelled to laugh along with her. "Don't worry, Tetsuya! I'm only teasing! So, Kagami-kun, when did you start playing basketball?"

"Uh, I lived in America from third grade until my second year of middle school. I had a hard time making friends since I was foreign. One day, a kid came up to me and asked me to play street ball with him. He was way better than me, so he helped me learn. Then I met Alexandra Garcia. Man, she was the best. She was a WNBA player, and we begged her to help us. After a while, she agreed. I had to leave earlier than I thought I would, though, so I haven't seen either of them in two years."

Kuroko smiled slightly at his story, though only Ayumi noticed. The older woman grinned and stood, stretching. "I'm gonna start dinner now. Tetsuya, I know you've told him about why you left Teikou, but why don't you tell him about the good times?"

Kuroko groaned dramatically at her mother as she disappeared from the doorway. "Would you really like to hear some stories?"

"If you don't mind, yeah," he admitted shyly.

She sighed and settled back onto the loveseat cushions. "When I first entered Teikou, I skipped the opening ceremony and went to the gym to play my version of basketball. My friend, Ogiwara-kun, usually played with me, but we were going to different schools. While I was practicing, I noticed someone watching me. He walked up to me and asked me what my name was. He introduced himself as Akashi Seijirou, and he demanded that I join the basketball club. When I asked him why, he said, 'You love it, right? If you love it, you should try to reach your full potential. I can help you do that.' So I went to the head coach and signed up."

Kagami laughed.

"Once, during a practice match in our first year, Aomine-kun and I were placed against Midorima-kun and Murasakibara-kun. They did not like each other much, but Akashi-kun insisted. So, while we were playing, Aomine-kun slipped away and took Midorima-kun's lucky item off the bench. That day, it was a plush alligator. Midorima-kun immediately became frantic, and he was about to injure Aomine-kun before Akashi-kun stepped in.

"Another time, after Kise-kun entered Teikou, I was helping him train. He and Aomine-kun wear the same size of shoe, so they often just grabbed one another's shoes when they were in a hurry. As revenge for taking the alligator, Midorima-kun had put tacks in Aomine-kun's shoes. However, Kise-kun grabbed Aomine-kun's shoes that day. The result was quite humorous to everyone but Akashi-kun, who threatened all of us with his new pair of scissors."

"Scissors?" Kagami questioned.

"Akashi-kun constantly carries a pair of scissors to help keep a hold on his underlings," she explained. "He can be quite frightening at times."

Kagami quirked an eyebrow but said no more as Kuroko continued regaling tales of the Generation of Miracles. She even had some pictures of the events, such as the time when Akashi and Murasakibara fell asleep on each other's shoulders on a bus ride. Watching her eyes and face as she spoke made him smile. At least all of her experiences at Teikou weren't terrible.

After about fifteen minutes, Ayumi poked her head out into the living room. "Dinner's ready, you two!" she told them happily. "I made my special curry!"

The two basketball players were off the couch and in the dining room in an instant. Kagami had never seen Kuroko move that quickly for food, he mused. He found out why as soon as he took a bite. "Ayumi-san, this is delicious!" he praised, shoveling more of the delicious substance into his mouth.

Kuroko laughed slightly, as she was eating like a more civilized person. "Taiga-san, if you eat too quickly, you will get hiccups."

Kagami made an acknowledging sound in the back of his throat but made no attempt to slow down.

Ayumi smiled at her daughter's exasperated sigh. "How does my cooking compare to your mother's?"

"I wouldn't know," he said in-between bites. "My parents are still in America, so I live alone."

Ayumi gave a dramatic gasp. "Why, that won't do! You'll have to come over for dinner more often, Kagami-kun! I need to make sure you're eating right!"

Kagami laughed at that, a loud, bawdy laugh that almost shook the house. "That's fine with me! I haven't eaten anything this good in a long time!"

Dinner went on the same way as it began, and Kagami went for seconds, thirds, and fourths of the curry. Luckily, Ayumi had made enough curry to satiate Kagami's hunger and have enough left over to send home with him. Afterwards, they retired to the living room and talked some more. Kagami was surprised at how at ease he felt in the Kuroko house, and he even felt himself leaning back into the cushions with Kuroko, who was starting to nod off.

She woke up, however, to see Kagami off. The two walked to the entryway in a comfortable silence, something Kagami had gotten used to since he'd met her. "Thank you for coming over tonight, Taiga-san," she said sleepily as he put his shoes on. "You will come over for dinner again sometime, right?"

"Hell yeah," he replied. "Your mom's cooking is awesome!"

She smiled, her sleep deprivation quite obviously tearing down her walls. "That is good. I liked having you over. It made me happy to see you laughing with Mama. It made me feel all warm inside."

Kagami flushed at her sleepy talking. There was no way she would ever say any of what she was currently saying if she were awake. He felt bad, as if he was taking advantage of her sleepiness to hear things he liked—and he did like what she was saying. "That's nice, Tetsu-chan. I'll see you on Monday, okay?"

Before he could leave, though, he felt the slight pressure of Kuroko's fingers on his elbow. "Taiga-san, why have you not mentioned when I kissed you on the cheek last week?"

He froze. "W-Whataya mean?"

"I kept waiting for you to bring it up. Coach says that all boys are thick and immature, and she says that she has been waiting for Hyuuga-sempai to notice her for the past year. I do not want to have to wait like that. Do you not like me or something? Because I like you very much and I would be sad if you did not like me the same way."

Kagami's face closely resembled an apple by this point, his flush reaching all the way to the tips of his ears. "Tetsu-chan, I'm not going to have this conversation with you when you're about to pass out. If you wanna keep talking when you're awake, that's fine. I'm gonna go home now. I'll see you on Monday."

"Okay. Goodnight, Taiga-san." Even as he turned, she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek softly before yawning sleepily and moving to go up the stairs.

The next morning, Aida woke up to a text message. She rose from her bed sleepily and lumbered to her phone and flipped it open.

New message from Kuroko Tetsuya
Subject: Help, please
Message: Coach, I messed up! What do I do?

Aida quickly asked her what happened, and laughed out loud when she received the story from Kuroko. She sent her kohai one final message before she went down to the kitchen to scavenge some breakfast:

Sent to Kuroko Tetsuya
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Help, please
Message: Don't worry. From what you said, Kagami-kun likes you as well. Don't dwell on it too much, though. We need your head in the game. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye ～（ゝ。∂）

They soundly defeated their next few opponents, thanks to the first-year duo. Despite the sleepy words shared at Kuroko's house, they were strictly professional on the court, something that the rest of the Seirin team was thankful for. Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday after that first week, Kagami came over to eat at Kuroko's house for dinner, which delighted Ayumi. The older woman always made sure Kuroko was dressed cutely when Kagami was over, as she was very supportive of the relationship she knew was just around the corner. If asked, she would simply say that her "mother's intuition" was telling her so.

However, there was a concern shared by the two females of the Seirin team. Both Aida and Kuroko noticed that the rest of the players were beginning to get cocky—especially Kagami. Kuroko realized with a start that this was how Aomine had started to change. Her resolve steeled further to not let him go down Aomine's path.

One day, as they were packing up after a match, Kuroko motioned the coach over. "Coach, Shutoku will be playing here shortly. I think it would be beneficial to the team to watch them."

"Okay," the second-year said after a moment. She blew her whistle, catching the team's attention. "Seirin! Shutoku will be playing here soon, and we're gonna watch them! They have a member of the Generation of Miracles, Midorima Shintarou, on their team, so it'll be a good thing to be able to watch him play!"

"Yes, ma'am!" the team said as one. When they filed into the bleachers, Kagami made sure to sit next to Kuroko, and she unconsciously scooted closer to him. Aida smiled at the action.

When Shutoku came in, she went into analytical mode. "Kuroko-chan, what's Midorima-san like?"

Kuroko deliberated the question. "He was Teikou's star shooter. He tapes his fingers to protect them, which Kise-kun constantly teases him about. He is a very superstitious person and checks his horoscope every day, even going so far as to carry his lucky item of the day. He is a nightmare on a good day for Cancers."

Aida nodded and turned her attention back to watching Shutoku warm up. Midorima's bespectacled gaze turned up to the bleachers and focused on Kuroko in a clear message: "Let's talk."

Kagami stood with Kuroko, and she gave him a puzzled glance but kept walking. When they got to the floor, Midorima jogged over to meet them, face serious. "Hello, Midorima-kun," Kuroko said politely, bowing slightly at the waist. "It is nice to see you again. This is Kagami Taiga-san, my partner. Taiga-san, this is Midorima Shintarou, my old teammate."

"Nice to meet you," Kagami said out of courtesy, holding a hand out for Midorima to shake.

Midorima ignored him completely, keeping his gaze on Kuroko. "How have you been, Kuroko-chan? Kise didn't say much last time we met…I assume you have the proof?" Kuroko's face heated at the statement, earning a chuckle out of the green-haired shooter. "I'll take that as a yes."

She crossed her arms grumpily and pouted, which Kagami found very amusing because of how little and how much it suited her face. "I am fine, Midorima-kun. Why are you asking me, anyway? We were never close in middle school."

"Boss's orders," he shrugged, though the tension in his voice couldn't have been hidden by the best actor in the world. This observation was further proved when Kagami saw Kuroko stiffen, back going straight. He fished his dark green phone out of the pocket of his sweatpants, flipped it open, and showed Kuroko a certain conversation.

Sent by Akashi Seijirou
Subject: Tetsuya
Message: Hello, Shinatrou. I trust you are well. I heard from Ryouta that you were playing against Tetsuya tomorrow, so I'd like you to ask her how she's doing. She hasn't contacted Daiki or Atsushi, either, so I'm a bit concerned.

To Akashi Seijirou
Subject: Re: Tetsuya
Message: Why don't you ask Kise? He talked to her recently.

Sent by Akashi Seijirou
Subject: Re: Re: Tetsuya
Message: He only spoke to her for a bit and he's too blinded by his affection for her to really tell how she is. You and she were never close, so you'll be better to tell if she's happy or not.

To Akashi Seijirou
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Tetsuya
Message: Will do.

Kuroko read through each message carefully before she handed Midorima's phone back to him. "Please tell Akashi-kun that I am fine. Seirin is good to me. Taiga-san is utilizing my abilities very well, as are the other members of the team. The coach is strict with us and has difficult training regimens for each of us. I am not getting bullied or hit on, and Taiga-san and Mama are making sure I eat properly. I have no friends outside of the basketball club, so he does not need to worry about tracking people down. Did I miss anything?"

Midorima pondered her words for a moment before shaking his head. "You got it all. I'll report back to him after my match. Are you going to watch?"

Kuroko nodded, moving closer to Kagami so that their arms brushed, which did not go unnoticed by either male. "I thought it would be beneficial to us. I know that you have watched us before, so consider this making it even."

A dark chuckle escaped Midorima's lips. "Yes, I suppose you could call it that." He turned his back to them and started walking away before he suddenly stopped, turning his head to address the two. "Try not to get discouraged."

Kagami shot Kuroko a look as they walked back up into the bleachers, but didn't say a word.

Afterwards, the Seirin team left, feeling melancholy. "Wow…" Koganei whined, leaning against Izuki for support (to which the other second-year glared). "That Midorima sure is good…"

From her usual place beside Kagami, Kuroko said, "Well, he was the star shooter of the Generation of Miracles. As Kise-kun predicted, he has gotten much better. It will be difficult to defeat his team."

"Plus, we're playing Seiho the same day we play Shutoku," Aida said. Everyone in the team voiced their displeasure (except for Kuroko, who simply let her eyes widen slightly as she tried to rein Kagami in so he didn't horribly maim their coach). "Oh, stop complaining! We'll just have to keep Kagami-kun and Kuroko-chan on reserve during the Seiho match so they're ready for Shutoku."

"But, Coach," said Kuroko softly, as if she was sorry she was upset, "do you not think that two back-to-back games with two Kings will be tiring for the team?"

"If I had it my way, we wouldn't be playing both of them, either. But we have to if we wanna make it to Inter-High."

The team nodded as one and parted ways, going to their respective homes for a well-deserved sleep.

Long chapter…

Word count not including title and ANs: 4,040

So, how did you guys like this chapter? It was mostly filler with some KagaKuro fluff, so I don't really know what to think of it. I'm thinking about a major relationship upgrade for Kagami and Kuroko happening after the Shutoku match, but what do you guys think? I'm also just going to have one chapter for Seiho and one chapter for Shutoku instead of having four for the two matches.

As always, please review to tell me how you think I did.