XP: Hey! Thanks for all the reviews and support. It's been getting harder to write for some reason. But anyway I have good news to report! Thanks to my good A level results I've been admitted as the first batch of students into National University of Singapore's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences! :)


"Kise, I want you to take a look at this while you still can."

"Huh?"

Kise was cuddled up on the couch hugging a cushion, watching american action flicks with Kagami when the basketball player handed him a canvas sheet. Taking a quick glance, messages of different colours seemed to be written on top of it, with representative colours of the gom. Akashi used red, Murasakibara purple, Midorima green, Aomine blue and Kuroko a very light shade of blue.

"W-What's this?"

"They wrote messages for you. Geez, they wouldn't stop asking me questions about you. Here, take it."

Shifting a little closer to Kagami so they were side by side, Kise began reading the messages with the moral support offered to him.

Stop crying, idiot - Midorima.

Oi, didn't you call me your best friend huh? Then what's with this running away shit? Talk to me you bitch -Aomine

Kise-kun, you can talk to us about anything- Kuroko

Kise-chin, we're not the generation of miracles without you. Please don't avoid us :( -Murasakibara

Ryouta, come back. -Akashi

Kagami watched Kise's reaction carefully. Kise's mouth twisted from a lopsided smile to a frown. Then Kagami couldn't see his face anymore because Kise buried his head in Kagami's shouder. But somehow Kagami knew that his crybaby friend was crying again. Kagami sighed and ruffled the soft blond locks emphatically, giving an exasperated smile. It seems like the generation of miracles was very worried about their depressed blond.

"So? Why are you so afraid of them?" Kagami asked the question he had always wanted but never got to. He thought it might be a little insensitive to probe at the blond's problems. But he was kinda too far into it now anyways.

"I don't really know," Kise mumbled hesitantly. "I just... I heard things."

"Things?" Kagami quizzed.

"At this point I don't even know if it's real anymore," Kise whimpered.

Kagami waited patiently for the blond to continue talking.

"They were saying terrible things... things like how I'm just a bother and should leave."

"That can't be right! I mean, look at this!" Kagami gestured to the canvas desperately to show his point. "It's obvious that they're very worried about you, Kise. I can't imagine them saying that at all."

"I know! But I always have these nightmares, and these voices always whisper in my head..." Kise leaned back, away from Kagami. He wiped half heartedly at his eyes,biting his lower lip. "I know it sounds weird. But I'm really really scared now and I don't know what to believe anymore, Kagamicchi."

Seeing the tear stained, anguished expression Kise was making, Kagami felt his heart ache a little. And when fearful golden eyes raised to meet his, Kagami hugged the fragile blond tightly, unable to hold back any longer.

"You've got me. No matter what, you've got me."

Kise sobbed openly now. "I'm really scared, Kagamicchi." He gripped the fabric of Kagami's shirt desperately as though to root him there.

"I'll be with you, alright? There's nothing to be afraid of," Kagami reassured repeatedly. A dark part of Kagami's heart was glad that he was the only one the blond trusted. He felt special- no one had trusted and relied on him to this degree before. He felt a little like he wanted to keep Kise all to himself. So, selfishly he started to say something a little different.

"Even if they reject you, Kise, I'd always be here. You can take your time, but know that you have a safe place forever, with me."

Kagami knew what he was doing was a little bit morally wrong. He wanted to take back his words, but he knew what was spoken couldn't be taken back. He had just subconsciously manipulated Kise with his veiled and strategically spoken words that the only safe place the blond had was with him. He should be encouraging the blond to step out and communicate with the generation of miracles, but what he was doing was holding the blond back and manipulating his emotional fears.

"You know, Ki-" He guiltily tried to prod the blond towards the right direction again, but he swallowed the words back into his throat when Kise looked up at him with glistening, trusting eyes and a beaming smile as bright as the way his eyes glittered from reflecting the light.

"Thank you so much, Kagamicchi."

And Kagami could only smile back.


*linebreak*

"Do you think Kagami showed Kise what we wrote already?" Murasakibara mumbled through the popsicle stuck in his mouth. It was sweltering hot and they were gathered in a cafe to cool down and discuss what to do.

Kuroko looked like he really didn't want to be there though. Because the place didn't sell vanilla milkshakes.

"Probably," Midorima replied, pushing up his glasses elegantly.

"Then why isn't there a fucking reply!" Aomine slammed his fist on the table in irritation, startling the poor high school girls nearby. Before they took a double-take when they realised the rainbow collection of hairdos. And a triple-take when they realized just how freaking attractive the boys were.

"Daiki. Don't make a scene," Akashi admonished severely.

Aomine shot an angry look over, met those hard eyes, and lowered his own with a grudging "tsk."

"Tetsuya, what do you think?" their previous leader questioned sharply.

Kuroko met those piercing eyes straight on, sipping his tea in the meanwhile. He thought about it a little. "I think... Kise is being paranoid."

They waited for him to continue but Kuroko didn't want to talk anymore. Aomine stared at the quiet boy as he munched on the tidbits, a little bit irked.

Using his words, Midorima thought about it further. "So he's imagining that we'll do or say something, and that makes him afraid of us?"

"Then we just have to prove ourselves to him," Akashi ended the discussion promptly using the theory.

"But how?" Murasakibara sulked. "I'm not scary at all."

Yeah, with that huge build and displeased face? Who was he kidding?

"Prove?" Aomine asked dumbly. "Like what, beat him in basketball?"

Kuroko sighed softly, and Aomine looked towards his shorter friend for answers. Kuroko merely shook his head, signalling that he would tell him later what it meant.

"Everyone," Kuroko said firmly. "Please think about what Kise means to you before you make any actions. Do you think he's just a former team mate who's a rival at basketball? Just that? If it's only to that extent, then maybe you should leave him be and continue focusing on your club activities instead."

With that ending sentence, Kuroko stood up and gestured for Aomine to follow him. The rest of the generation of miracles sat there in muted silence, mulling over the words Kuroko said.

"Hey, slow down, Tetsu!" Aomine hollered as Kuroko led the way to a park.

Kuroko turned around suddenly, and Aomine had to take a step back. Disgruntled, Aomine shoved his hands into his pockets, looking to the side. "So what did you want to say?"

Kuroko bit his lip and lowered his eyes. "Aomine-kun, something doesn't feel right here. I think this might be deeper than we think. I think you're the one who can help Kise the most."

"Me? How?" Aomine replied urgently, listening closely now.

"He regarded you as his best friend. Remember how after he became a regular, he demanded matches from you everyday? And you guys would always hang out at the arcade, watch movies at your house, and how he went chick viewing with you even though he wasn't interested?"

"...Yeah?" Aomine raised an eyebrow, missing the point.

"He respected you a lot and always wanted your approval. But what you didn't realise was how you- no, we- took those days from him and hurt him."

"Hurt him?" A twisted look of confusion contorted Aomine's handsome face.

"Slowly, you stopped responding to him. Every time he smiled and made an offer to hang out, you brushed him off coldly and you even pushed him off the stairs once. Don't you remember? But he kept trying until Momo told him to stop because he was getting injured. Perhaps I was the worse out of all of us," Kuroko frowned sadly. "I saw it. I saw him drop his smile, on the edge of tears every time we turned away but I chose to ignore it."

Aomine's hands turned into fists as he stared guiltily at the ground. "I... I didn't realise. So that... all those injuries was because of me?"

"Aominecchi! How about today?" Kise had been trying for a month now, but he was still trying to grasp onto the tiniest sliver of hope. Maybe today Aomine will be in a better mood. He put the biggest and brightest smile he could muster on his face, chasing after the boy like he always did. He tried to match up with the boy's long strides on the stairs. Aomine hit puberty much earlier than any of them.

"No, leave me alone," Aomine replied curtly with a blank look, not even glancing at the bubbly blond. Like what he did for the past month.

"Come on! We used to hang out every day. It's been so long. I know what will make you better. I got some pretty cool patches for GTA!" Kise offered desperately. He wondered if it was something he did or said. Why was Aomine ignoring him? Was he too boring for him? But he always had so much fun when he was with Aomine. "Or another basketball match?"

"I said no already, you're so annoying!" Aomine growled, scrunching up his eyebrows. "None of you are at my level. It's so boring."

"Just give it a try!" Kise pleaded cutely, holding his hands in front of him like a prayer. "Pleaseeee? I might win this time!"

"SHUT UP!" Aomine snarled, pushing Kise to the side roughly, and not looking back. He didn't realise how hard he pushed the boy until he heard loud thumps and a sickening crack.

"KISE!" Momo shrieked, running past Aomine.

But Aomine never looked back on his way to the roof.

"Kise! Oh my god... Are you alright?" Momo fretted, biting on her nail as he knelt in front of the blond lying down in a heap at the bottom of the stairs. "You're bleeding! Your wrist..." She glanced up the stairs with a mix of disappointment and anger in her eyes.

"Haha, good thing it's my left hand and not my right," Kise chuckled with tears forming in his eyes. "But I guess I will have to stop club activities. Not that it's fun anymore anyway."

"Let me help you to the nurse's office!"

"Nah, I can handle it," Kise propped himself up and gave a weak smile. "I'll be alright."

"Are you sure? I'll be sure to scold Dai-chan! What was he thinking..." Momo complained as she stared at Kise's bleeding forehead. "Kise, I'm so sorry but I think you should leave him be. This is getting dangerous for you. I'm sure he'll grow out of this stupid rebellious phase though. Geez."

"Yup."

"Be careful on your way!" Momo said finally as she rushed up the stairs to find Aomine.

Kise sat there for awhile, glancing up at the empty stairway, before closing his eyes and resigning himself to limping to the nurse's office with the excuse that he fell down the stairs himself because he wasn't careful.

The next day, Kise didn't try to approach Aomine anymore, and although Aomine saw the bandaged head, and the arm in a cast, he paid no mind to it.

"Yes, Aomine-kun," Kuroko confirmed shamefully. "And I wasn't there for him because I saw no point in trying as well. I was sick of the basketball we played. We have to right the wrong, Aomine. We had the biggest part to play in Kise's emotional scars as his best friends."

Aomine nodded. Without realising, his tears had welled up, and he wiped at them with embarrassment. "I got it Tetsu. I'll try my best."


*linebreak*

"So you're saying that Kise is staying at Kagami's house?" Kasamatsu asked again.

"Yeah, all the generation of miracles already know. I don't know why he's hiding there though," Takao reported. "All I know is I'm glad I don't have to wait in the sun for hours waiting for him to appear."

"Thanks, Takao."

"Yeah, no problem. I hope you solve whatever problem there is. It's weird seeing Midorima look so frustrated."

"I'll try my best," Kasamatsu promised as he hung up. He decided a while ago that as the captain of the team, this had to stop. Kise had been missing practice for a week now without a clear reason, and although the other members were not angry, just concerned, Kasamatsu was feeling emotions of the whole spectrum. He was very disappointed, for starters. They had promised to train hard to clinch the championship title so they would leave proud with tears of joy and not regret this time. He was also pretty sad that Kise who was always so open and cheery stopped being who Kasamatsu knew him to be. But he was also angry like he usually was at Kise whenever he did something stupid.

Travelling to Kagami's house by bus after checking the GPS, Kasamatsu steeled himself for all the things he should say as a captain and friend. It was his responsibility to knock some sense into Kise because no one else seemed to do it. Running away wasn't the solution, it was cowardly.

Bracing himself, he knocked hard on Kagami's door.

"Yes?" Kagami opened the door, and was stunned to see someone he never expected to see. "Oh. Kasamatsu right? What's up?"

Without replying, he forced his way into the house.

"Hey!" Kagami chased after him, but Kasamatsu already found Kise, who was sitting in front of a plate of pasta, a fork hovering near his mouth with a mouthful of carbonara.

"Captain!" Kise greeted in shock, putting down the fork. "Why are you here?"

He was promptly slapped over the head violently like how he was always hit by his captain.

"You look fine to me," Kasamatsu crossed his arms, clearly unimpressed and looking for an explanation.

"Oh," Kise rubbed his aching head uncomfortably.

"Aren't you going to explain anything?" Kasamatsu demanded. "It's irresponsible of you to skip practice for a week without a clear reason. Don't you know how worried everyone is for you!? Have you spared a thought for their feelings? Here you are, being a selfish coward who's running away and leaving messes behind for people to clean up for you. Is it fun to stir up such a huge trouble, huh? Didn't you... Didn't you promise me that you would work hard from now on so we can win?"

Kagami was standing at the doorway in silence, unsure to interrupt or not. Kise kept quiet, not meeting his captain's eyes.

"Alright then," Kasamatsu huffed. "I can lead the team just well without you. You can quit if you want to, but I'm bringing this team to the nationals no matter what! You can join us again if you want to at that point." He turned to leave coolly, shoving Kagami aside.

Once he left, Kise started to cry again.

"Hey hey hey, what's wrong Kise?" Kagami rushed to his side instantly.

"He doesn't want me on the team anymore..."

"What? Where did you hear that from? From what I see, Kise, he's asking you to join the team again but he's too proud to just say it. He's telling you to trust your senpais' ability to play basketball!" Kagami assured quickly, remembering how his senpais said the same thing.

"R-really?" Kise sniffled.

"Yeah, I'm 110 percent sure," Kagami replied confidently. "So you don't have to worry about Kaijo. Just focus on recovering so you can hurry back."

"Yeah," Kise nodded. "Yeah," he repeated to re-affirm it with himself.

***End***


XP: Thanks for reading!